It is not enough to establish yourself in the suburbs to address its young inhabitants, and that, Aouicha Traoré knows something about it. The founder of Anka Élévation Editions, a house promoting the representation of Afro-descendant people, launched a Banlieuards children’s book fair on April 13, 2024, with her entrepreneur colleague, Fatoumata M’Binté. An event which brought together, in the Georges Brassens cultural center in the town of Vigneux, with the assistance of the Town, nearly 500 participants.
Among the exhibitors, we found independent publishers from the Paris region, the north and south of France, and published or self-published authors. “The feedback from houses and authors has been very positive, considers Aouicha Traoré. All were able to sell their works in a significant way and discuss at length with a public who said they were surprised to discover the plurality of representations in the albums”.
It is indeed this theme which is at the heart of the approach of the two co-organizers, also founders of the Ode to Literature association aimed at promoting literature, poetry and the art of eloquence among children. “It is often said that young readers turn away from books or have a complicated relationship with literature, but many do not feel concerned by the content of the works since they are not embodied in them, recalls Aouicha Traoré. Our idea was also to fight against the prejudices which maintain, among other things, that suburbanites do not read. An old saying said “if you want to hide something from a black person, put it in a book” and society has become imbued with these stereotypes. »
Leaving the capital to better reach suburban audiences
To this must be added a lack of geographical accessibility, which the publisher was able to observe during previous attempts with moderate impact, such as ephemeral bookstores in Paris where the public could meet independent publishers: “Most of the major literary events are held in the capital, while several of us work on the outskirts to make suburban events visible. » Hence the need to relocate in order, in the long term, to reach as many suburbs as possible. For the next editions, Aouicha Traoré and Fatoumata M’Binté wish to change locality and department.
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Concerning the Montreuil salon, the founder takes a contrasting view: “It’s a very beautiful event, a concentrate of youth but I regret its lack of accessibility. » First on the publishers’ side, since the cost of a stand automatically excludes certain players. But also on the public side: “Yes, Montreuil is in the suburbs, but is that also the case in the collective imagination? And even if the show is free and well served, I have the impression that its “historical heritage” and “institution” side prevents it from really addressing everyone. »
The second edition of the Banlieusards Youth Book Fair will be held on April 26, 2025 in Vigneux, again. Around fifty exhibitors are already there, like the Belgian editions Ayo, the Swiss Invisible éditions, and the Guadeloupean house Nèg Mawon. The event will also follow a tour of awareness-raising interventions in socio-cultural centers, school associations and schools. “to anchor the project in depth and make children understand the importance of literature”. L
