Current activities: 2nd Jozi Book Fair, 7–9 August 2010
Jozi Book Fair and Khanya College would like to thank all of you for making the first edition of the Jozi Book Fair a great success. Jozi Book Fair 2009 attracted over 40 publishers who exhibited at the fair, and five of these publishers where from outside South Africa. Three of the publishers focused on publishing in indigenous languages, a focus that is one of the main aims of Jozi Book Fair. The Fair featured 58 writers and authors in various conversations, round-tables, book launches and other events, and was attended by more than a thousand members of the public. Four groups helped with the children’s programme at the Fair and more than 50 children attended the event. Without your contribution Jozi Book Fair 2009 could not have become successful.
Jozi Book Fair is open to publishing houses which are committed to a social justice agenda and who feature contemporary and cutting-edge writing internationally and regionally. The fair is initiated and organised by Khanya College to offer small and progressive publishers a forum to showcase their publications and activities, network, as well as the opportunity to develop alternative approaches and strategies. A range of activities, such as seminars, readings and network meetings will focus on urgent issues which are of interest for small and progressive publishers, and which will facilitate the profiling of non-mainstream writers and publishing houses. Special events will enable the exchange of knowledge about alternative ways of production and access to various distribution networks. The provision of a wide range of alternative information and existing informal networks aims at stimulating and encouraging publishing within social movements and NGOs.
The aims of the book fair are to:
- Provide space for small, progressive publishers showcase their work
- Rebuild a progressive publishing network, especially of small publishers in the South and Southern Africa
- Develop a reading culture among the broad public, and in particular among South Africa’s poor communities
- Profile writers who are generally marginalised, non-mainstream writers and publications
- Stimulate /encourage publishing within social movements and NGOs
- Stimulate and encourage publishing among and by women, and promote a publishing movement that deals with promoting a gender and feminist movement
- Provide information about publishing opportunities so as to stimulate new publishing initiatives
- Provide a platform for publishers and agents to network, debate, discuss, plan new projects
- Development of an alternative book trade and translations
- Promote indigenous language publishing
We look forward to your participation in Jozi Book Fair 2010, which will be held over three days on the 7th, 8th and 9th of August 2010. The fair will be held at Museum Africa, in Newtown, Johannesburg. The Jozi Book Fair Team and Khanya College are striving to make Jozi Book Fair 2010 an event that is better organised; better known and better attended by the reading public, and that will provide a great space for interaction between publishers, authors and the public.
The registration for Jozi Book Fair 2010 will open on the 1st of March 2010. Details will be available on the Jozi Book Fair website:
We invite and welcome feedback that will contribute to improving the Jozi Book Fair, and to making Jozi Book Fair 2010 an even greater success. Please send any requests and comments to:
jozibookfair@khanyacollege.org.za
