ZACF table at Jozi Book Fair

The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front will have a stand at the Jozi Book Fair, to take place this Saturday and Sunday at Museum Africa, Newtown, Johannesburg.

The Book Fair is part of the Khanya College Annual Winter School.

Note this is not a specific anarchist event.

From the Jozi Book Fair website:

Background and Aim of Jozi Book Fair

Jozi Book Fair is open to publishing houses which are commited to a social justice agenda and who feature contemporary and cutting-edge writing internationally and regionally. The fair is initiated and organised by Khanya College and Botsotso Publishing to offer small and progressive publishers a forum to showcase their publications and activities, network, as well as the opportunity to develop alternative approaches and strategies.A range of activities, such as seminars, readings and network meetings will focus on urgent issues which are of interest for small and progressive publishers, and which will facilitate the profiling of non-mainstream writers and publishing houses. Special events will enable the exchange of knowledge about alternative ways of production and access to various distribution networks. The provision of a wide range of alternative information and existing informal networks aims at stimulating and encouraging publishing within social movements and NGOs.

Recently, a decline of progressive and alternative publishers could be observed in South Africa and internationally. While a vibrant generation of young and emerging writers, activists and publishers is profiled by international literary and poetry prizes, and more cutting-edge publishing projects, their work is hardly recognised by a wider audience in the region today. Jozi Book Fair is a response to the urgent need to rebuild a progressive publishing network on the continent, which it aims to promote publishers with a social justice agenda, support indigenous language writing and publishing, as well as to introduce marginalised writers to a wider audience. While these efforts hope to expand the potential of the variety of alternative and new publishing initiatives, they will, at the same time, serve to build up a reading culture wider than that of just mainstream publications.To achieve this, several formats of platforms are offered for publishers, agents, translators and press to engage, debate, discuss and plan new projects during the two days of Jozi Book Fair. Additionally, small and progressive publishers will be invited to network and exchange in a two day meeting before the Book Fair sets off.

About Khanya College

Khanya College is an independent non-governmental organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1986 with the primary aim of assiting various constituencies within working class and poor communities to respond to the challenges posed by the forces of economic and political globalisation. Click here to read more.