The Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) is set to host its first-ever content market this year, with the aim of expanding African literature’s reach both within the continent and globally.
Spearheaded by digital content company eKitabu in collaboration with the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) and the African Publishers Network (APNET), the event will bring together rights professionals and editors from across Africa and around the world.
The event which is scheduled to happen from September 27 to October 1, 2023, at Nairobi’s Sarit Expo Centre, will center on publishing, trading, and translation rights. Delegates from countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana will engage with their counterparts from the UK, France, Italy, and the USA, among others.
While addressing the press, Kiarie Kamau, the Chairman of KPA and CEO of East African Educational Publishers expressed excitement about NIBF’s role in promoting African literature on a global scale.
“African books are still not well known beyond our borders. KPA is excited to see NIBF uplifted, providing a home for engagement and opportunities for publishers to showcase new and existing content from Africa, with the goal of building the market and moving books around the globe,” Kamau said.
Mary Maina, the Chair of KPA’s NIBF committee and Managing Director of Moran (E.A.) Publishers said that, the event offers great potential for exclusive deals on print and digital books to all stakeholders in the industry of publishing.
She said that, NIBF 2023 will be a fun-filled experience packed with learning and interaction alongside business associates and beloved local and international authors.
Valeria Paolini, the NIBF Ambassador from Italy, shared her perspective as a translator, emphasizing her intent to not only facilitate rights sales but also to build a catalog of books for proposals to select publishers.
Goretti Kyomuhendo from Uganda, expressed her excitement at being one of the inaugural Nairobi International Book Fair Ambassadors, emphasizing her commitment to building relationships, sharing experiences, and fostering knowledge exchange within the African publishing community.
According to the Organizers of the event, the Rights Café will serve as a dedicated space for B2B rights discussions, featuring NIBF ambassadors representing publishing houses in Africa and worldwide.
The organizers said that, the agenda includes panel discussions on trends in African literature, strategies for enhancing rights trading for African writers, and dialogues with authors. Furthermore, speed-dating sessions will facilitate connections between buyers and sellers.
Since its inception in 1996, the NIBF has evolved into a pivotal regional hub for the book industry, attracting publishing professionals, authors, booksellers, print suppliers, media, and readers from Africa and beyond. This year’s theme, Nurturing Talent Through Publishing, underscores its commitment to fostering literature growth.
This year’s NIBF promises to be a milestone event in the literary world, as it opens up new avenues for African authors and publishers to make their mark on the global stage.
