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Stanely Mushava Arts Correspondent—
The Zimbabwe International Book Fair’s programme to reach out to the reading community in many parts of the country through regional book fêtes faces a bleak future due to financial constrains.
The fair’s Masvingo edition that was slated for May 30-31 was cancelled on the last minute due to lack of funding, just two months after the Bulawayo fair was almost grounded in similar circumstances.
ZIBF chairperson Musaemura Zimunya told stakeholders that sponsors had withdrawn funding for Masvingo event on short notice.
He said the organisers unsuccessfully explored other funding options and were left with no option but to defer the fair to 2015.
Ironically, the organisation was banking almost entirely on foreign funding for the regional book fairs tag lined “Indigenous Languages, Literature, Art and Knowledge Systems of Africa,” due to lukewarm Government and corporate support for the book sector.
“We have been informed at a rather short notice that for the year 2014 our erstwhile development partners have shifted priorities away from funding cultural activities,” said Zimunya.
“Following our immensely successful Masvingo Book Fair in 2013 which we ran with the hitherto solid support of our steadfast development partners, we were expecting a big fair.
“In doing so, we were planning on the firm conviction and understanding that funding for the event would be forthcoming, as in the previous event.
“We at ZIBF explored and exhausted all possibilities of sourcing funding for The Masvingo Book Fair in the interest of saving this noble event for our eager stakeholders – writers, publishers, book sellers, exhibitors, librarians, schools and members of the general public.
“Unfortunately, since all our efforts were fatally unsuccessful, we regret having cancelled The Masvingo Book Fair at the very last hour.”
Zimunya, however, announced that funding for Main Book Fair 2014 to be held in Harare has been secured and that preparations are gathering pace.
The Bulawayo Book Fair which was held from March 30-31 almost failed to take place due to insufficient funds and publishers had to intervene with contributions at the last minute to save the event. Zimunya blamed the near-failure of the Bulawayo fair on lack of state and corporate support which has seen regional editions of ZIBF being bankrolled from outside the country.
“We must take possession of our institutions as a people. If the corporate sector sponsors Hifa, which is primarily a leisure experience, there is no reason why they should not support the book sector,” Zimunya said.
“National development is not possible without a thriving local book sector. The ZIBF is an indispensable institution as far as development is concerned,” he said.
ZIBF was one of the biggest events on Africa’s literary calendar at its height in the early 90s. Authors and publishers concur that lack of support spells jeopardy for the book sector.
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