Africa hosts books congress

Seventeen African countries were represented at the first IBBY congress to be held on the African continent. Many received financial assistance from the organisers’ fundraising. The full programme of addresses, workshops, and author and illustrator panels drew on a pool of more than 150 presenters.
Among the highlights was the presentation of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2004 to Irish author Martin Waddell, and illustrator Max Velthuijs from the Netherlands. The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award went to the First Words in Print project from the Centre for the Book in Cape Town, a development project that produces books for pre-school children.
At the gala opening, Peter Schneck, IBBY president, reiterated the challenge to members to provide access for children to books of a high literary and artistic standard. This was currently not achieved even in many developed countries, he said. "It presents even more of a challenge in Africa. The congress theme, Books for Africa, should become a promise to ensure that books are available for everyone everywhere."
Speaking on behalf of the Western Cape education department, Enver Surtee focused his keynote address on the challenges for South Africa, where reading skills of schoolchildren are well below the desired level. He encouraged the gathering to seek a collective answer to falling literacy levels among young people.