Online Reporter
Trust Khosa-Zimapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
PROMINENT literary arts figure Memory Chirere reckons adequate funding is essential for the development of the sector, to enable it to compete with more lucrative and thriving disciplines such as music.
As the chair of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair, Chirere emphasised that music is inherently easier to market, while many practitioners and stakeholders in literary arts face serious financial constraints.
Reflecting on last season as they opened the 2026 chapter, Chirere admitted that the literary arts sector lacked funding.
“The situation is dire in the literary arts sector, unlike in music, which can easily be sold and is believed to be the only art form that exists,” he shared.
“At ZIBF, we operate on a zero budget after losing some of our funders who have changed their policies.
“We have been appealing to all relevant Government departments for assistance, but we are not receiving funding.
“This has forced us to operate on a zero budget, making it difficult for most players in this sector.”
The affable storyteller and university lecturer also revealed that all was not rosy for the book industry, which continues to be overlooked.
“If you look closely at the book sector, you will notice that various stakeholders, including publishers, authors and writers, are equally struggling.
“There is funding coming in, but it has killed morale among creatives in this genre,” he stated.
Chirere lamented the lack of workshops and skills-upgrading initiatives in the sector.
“There seems to be a lot of silence in this sector, and the few book launches that do occur are not enough to improve the situation. “The reviews that are done are insufficient, so funding is needed for us to compete with other regional countries where the sector is still valued.”
However, he told Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub that they will not throw in the towel.
“We will continue doing our best to ensure that the book industry remains relevant despite the need for funding.
“At the moment, we are strategising on our roadmap and evaluating last year’s achievements, where we revived ZIBF from a zero budget and still managed to attract a number of attendees, including schools.
“On that note, we want to commend the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for supporting last year’s edition, which came after a long hiatus, as they allowed schools to attend our fair,” he pointed out.
Similar sentiments were echoed by ZIBF curator Dr Samuel Makore, who shared that the sector was now on its knees.
“To be honest, some players in the book industry now feel discouraged,” he asserted.
“Publishers, booksellers, and writers are losing millions to pirates who are photocopying books for resale.
“Over the years, schools used to be our biggest clients in the book industry, but now these set books are being sold on street corners in the form of photocopies.
“This is the biggest challenge we are facing in the book industry because we are not getting anything.”
He also noted that writers needed a series of workshops in this era of artificial intelligence.
“It’s now difficult to measure creativity among writers in the era of AI.
“So in a way, we need financial backing to empower our creatives.
“Authors have been reduced to nothing as they are not realising any income from their work.
“The Government can chip in and help us through the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, as the council is looking at us from a distance.”
He noted that it was high time players in the book industry devised other means for relevance.
“For the continuity of the sector, we need to come up with ways to raise our own funds and sustain our operations.
“We learnt this last year when we revived ZIBF and held workshops in Bulawayo and Harare on a zero budget.
“Over the years, we had major sponsors like the Norwegians, who used to fund our operations, but that funding has stopped, and we need to find ways to fund our operations,” recalled Dr Makore.
Dr Makore added: “The biggest lesson we learnt last year as we revived ZIBF after the Covid-19 era is that we need to embrace the changing times. If funding comes, we should use it for intellectual development, among other operations for the growth of the sector.
“We can’t keep complaining; we need to move on and ensure that the sector lives on.”
Outlining their 2026 roadmap, Dr Makore stated that they have been sprucing up their main offices in Harare, with a series of workshops planned.
“We are busy planning for the new season, with the 2026 theme for ZIBF set to be announced by the end of this month. Workshops and fairs in Mutare and Bulawayo will be held in the first half of the year, with the main fair for Harare set for July.
“In between, we will be holding a series of workshops to create synergies between local writers and global authors.”
Dr Makore also noted that they are eager to see local writers like Chenjerai Hove, the late Charles Mungoshi, and others being appreciated as Zimbabwe cherishes other African authors.
“If Chinua Achebe is appreciated in Zimbabwe, we also expect the same for our own writers like Chenjerai Hove, whose works are of exceptional quality.
“It requires a lot of networking and synergies to achieve that, and we are working on this issue,” he emphasised.
