Salon du livre de Genève

Salon du livre de Genève’s “African Book Fair” cancelled

The “African Book Fair” at Salon du livre de Genève will no longer run in one of Europe’s most important literary gatherings.

Salon du livre de Genève (Geneva Book Fair) is an event dedicated to books and writing founded by Pierre-Marcel Favre in 1987. It is hosted annually in the Swiss city with typically 90,000 and 100,000 visitors attending book launches, readings, performances of music and poetry, film screenings, and more.

Since 2004, there has been a pavilion for lovers of the written word who love work produced by African writers. The “African Book Affair” has hosted the leading names in African letters both on the continent and in the diaspora. They have been on the stages of one of Europe’s leading book fairs with readings of their prose, poetry, or nonfiction, panels, one-on-one conversations, and more. A highlight has to be the Ahmadou Kourouma Prize named for the legendary Cote d’Ivoire author. Some of the people who won it are Bessora, Scholastique Mukasonga, Tierno Monénembo,  Mutt-Lon, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Mbarek Ould Beyrouk, Max Lobe, Wilfried N’Sondé, David Diop, Hemley Boum, Blaise Ndala, Osvalde Lewat, and Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse.

The organisers of the Salon du livre de Genève have announced that future editions of the African Book Fair have been shelved citing a lack of funds for that specific programme.

“Given the loss of this important financial support, it is with regret that the Geneva Book Fair is forced to put an end to the African Book Fair in its historic form,” a statement from organisers said.

While they regret that the fair will no longer be an African Fair, they intend to perpetuate the spirit of the African fair by promoting the Francophonie and its plural literatures, in particular by integrating it into the various programs. The other good news is that the Ahmadou Kourouma Prize will NOT be cancelled and continue to be hosted.

Read the full statement below;

THE GENEVA BOOK FAIR IS FORCED TO PUT AN END TO THE AFRICAN FAIR

Geneva, June 2024 – Due to the loss of significant financial support dedicated to the African fair, the Geneva Book Fair is forced to put an end to the African fair as it was proposed. For more than 20 years, the African book fair, more commonly known as the “African fair”, has been spread over a large dedicated space in the heart of the Geneva book fair. Despite this defection, the organizers wish to continue to highlight literature linked to this region of the world.

Given the loss of this important financial support, it is with regret that the Geneva Book Fair is forced to put an end to the African Book Fair in its historic form. This brought together, within the book fair, publishers specializing in African literature, many of them coming from the African continent. A stage and a bookstore completed the cultural offering.

However, the organizers of the Geneva Book Fair intend to perpetuate the spirit of the African fair by promoting the Francophonie and its plural literatures, in particular by integrating into the various programs authors who offer related literary news. with Africa.

In addition, the organizers will be happy to offer loyal visitors to the African fair a range of books linked to African cultures.

The show would like to thank those who brought this space to life and brought it to life: partners, programmers, authors, editors, journalists, booksellers, audiences, etc.

The Ahmadou Kourouma prize, awarded each year as part of the Geneva book fair, is maintained and will be presented on one of the main stages of the fair.

Please support our work at Writing Africa with a one-off donation or regularly on Mobile Money, PayPal, or Patreon starting at US$3 a month by clicking here.


by

Comments

2 responses to “Salon du livre de Genève’s “African Book Fair” cancelled”

  1. Anibal João Melo avatar
    Anibal João Melo

    Where is African Union?

    1. James Murua avatar
      James Murua

      A very pertinent question.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.