Research Task 1: Book Fairs

The list below is showing a range of art book fairs, both independent publishers and independent designers and artists. Research the book fairs online and explore the wide range of books by independent publishers, to gain a better understanding of the variety of books and publishing possibilities. You might want to visit one of the fairs in the future and explore the books.

Book Fairs in South Africa are not on the same scale as in the UK. However, there are a few that happen annually and attract visitors from all over the country. Unfortunately, none of them are running at the time of writing for this research task. However, these fairs often try to raise awareness and funds for underprivileged and under-resourced schools. Many children (82%) in South Africa can't read for meaning by the time they reach Grade 4 or UK Year 5. The fair's main aim is to get children and adults interested in reading by encouraging, in particular, South African authors to participate in panel discussions or book launches.

Penguin Random House

Every year, Penguin Random House SA holds a presentation. This presentation is aimed at school librarians, book sellers and anyone involved in the book industry. These books showcase children's books only and by invitation. This mini fair features free posters, samples and displays of the books to be released in the coming year.

The latest presentation from Penguin Random Books SA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaRRhJ0cVD0

Below are some photos of the mini fair/presentation.

Open Book Festival

The festival was founded in 2011 by Mervyn Sloman and Ben Williams. Every year in Cape Town, the Open Book Festival features over 150 events and 100 hours packed into 5 days, featuring South African and international literature. It aims to promote global literature, support South African authors and make literature accessible to young readers. There are numerous sub events including Poetica (focused on poetry), Comic Book Fest, author discussions, and a Youth Programme.

Franschhoek Literary Festival

The first Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) was first held in May 2007 in Franschhoek, South Africa. The festival promotes South African literature and authors while encouraging a culture of reading and writing among children. FLF raises funds for the FLF School Library Fund to support literacy and school libraries in the Franschhoek Valley. Since 2012, FLF has hosted the Book Week for Young Readers, involving storytellers and writers visiting local schools. Workshops are conducted from Grade R to Grade 12, focusing on age-relevant topics and home languages.

In 2017, the initiative reached approximately 8000 children across eight schools. The festival features children-focused events alongside the main festival activities.

Kingsmead Book Fair

The Kingsmead Book Fair is an annual celebration of literary culture with a day-long programme of events for children and adults that includes book readings by top South African children’s book authors, writer's talks, panel discussions and the winner of the Young Writers’ Competition, plus plenty of great books for sale. Occasionally, international authors are also invited to speak about their books. Authors are usually invited to participate in panel discussions with other authors of books of similar genres.

Jozi Book Fair

Jozi Book Fair started in 2009, co-hosted by Khanya College and Wits University in Gauteng. It aims to create readers and identify writers. The fair includes publishers, NGOs, readers, writers, artists and the public as exhibitors and hosts. The fair features activities like seminars, discussions, book launches, workshops, film festivals and art exhibitions. Notable guests have included South African novelist Zakes Mda and author Mohale Mashigo.

Reflection

Researching book fairs for this research task was a realisation that in South Africa there is a major problem with reading literacy. As mentioned in my introduction, 82% of children in South Africa can't read for meaning by the time they reach Grade 4 or UK Year 5. Much of this is poor investment in education, especially in rural communities. There simply are not enough resources for adequate classrooms, let alone functioning libraries. In neighbourhoods, there aren't functioning libraries, some exist in more developed cities but don't have the variety of books in readers' languages. In South Africa, there are 12 official languages. This alone is a challenge because publishers won't publish books because there isn't a big enough market for them. If the books are published, then the cost is astronomical.

In conclusion, I found this exercise quite frustrating because book fairs don't exist on the same scale as in the UK or other developed countries. However, I do have some hope that this is slowly changing in schools, with more African authors being published and writing stories set in a South African context, more children will be interested in reading and carrying on reading into adulthood.