A new meeting is being launched in Togo from March 6 to 8 to develop exchanges between publishing professionals. Six months after the organization of the first Children's Book Fair (Salijel), the Togolese capital Lomé is preparing to host the first forum of children's publishers in Africa (FEJA).
This professional program (March 6-8, 2025) aims to promote the discovery of African youth production and to create links between publishers and linguistic areas.
« The heart of the problem is that anglophones and francophones do not know each other », notes the consultant Agnes Debiageco-organizer of the event with the Lire au Togo association. This observation, simple but revealing, is the starting point of the forum. Although countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria are geographically close, their publishers remain compartmentalized by language barriers.
However, as the ancient bookseller in Egypt points out, “ these countries share local languages, such as Ewe between Ghana and Togo or Yoruba between Benin and Nigeria. »
40 publishers expected
This situation calls for action: “ It is not just a border or a language barrier that should slow down collaborations. These countries have so much in common that they could work better together “, she insists.
Thus, the forum program was designed to combine reflection and action. The mornings will be devoted to conferences and training on the challenges of youth publishing in Africa, while the afternoons will give way to B2B networking: “ A room will be set up with small tables so that everyone can sit down and do business. »
-With the planned participation of 40 publishers from around ten countries. “ Development is only built through this action of discussing together: what can you bring me, what can I bring you? »concludes Agnès.
The meeting is supported by the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
To register (before 02/01/2025): [email protected]
Sharjah always looks more towards Africa
The small emirate stuck to Dubai, Sharjah, which has developed a logistics platform for the book industry, is launching two new events at the end of January: The Sharjah literature festival to promote Emirati authors but also the Sharjah Festival of African literature, with two Nobel Prizes (Wole Soyinka and Abdulrazak Gurnah). After doubling its contingent of African publishing professionals during its previous meetings (Booksellers and Publishers conferences), the small emirate affirms its interest in African publishing.
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