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Stephen Chifunyise

Beaven Tapureta
This year’s edition of the two-day long Zimbabwe International Book Fair Conference started on Monday, July 31, on a high note under the theme “Making the Book Pay”.

On the first day, the Indaba deliberations dealt with the need to reclaim the local book industry’s glory which has been dimmed by various factors, including the seemingly indomitable crime of book piracy.

Eight presenters from Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia gave stimulating insights during the sessions that discussed topics such as the economics of the book, information literacy skills for the digital age and intellectual property and copyright.

From different loci of the theme, the speakers had brilliant ideas that also roused debate which gave way to practical resolutions.

In-between sessions, delegates were treated to sumptuous music and poetry from guitarist Keith Roberts and Masvingo-based poet Abel Mauchi who is like a Dambudzo Marechera incarnate in appearance and words juggling. Mauchi has made a name for himself on social media with his deeply thought out and humorous Shona poems. He got the Indaba delegates asking for some more.

However, it was when veteran playwright Stephen Chifunyise took to the podium to deliver his keynote address that the house shifted further into a serious presentation which touched many a heart.

Chifunyise, a seasoned storyteller and cultural consultant, congratulated the ZIBF for the determination that has seen it moving on despite economic challenges.

“Last year, one international participant in the Indaba observed that the ZIBF mirrors effectively the Zimbabwe spirit of no surrender; the spirit of not giving up; the spirit of self-belief and of seeing tomorrow as a new opportunity to try out new survival approaches and of seeing the next day as a chance to declare victory over what many other nations may consider as the last nail on the coffin of demise,” he said.

Acknowledging piracy as the major threat to the book industry, Chifunyise urged stakeholders in the sector to “re-group, remobilise, refocus, and re-strategise for a comprehensible viable book industry”.

He recommended that the new strategies to make the book pay include starting now the dialogue about the establishment of the National Book Week and launching a collective fight against piracy.

“Establishing the ZIBF week as a National Book Week ensures that the entire nation relates for one week to all issues about the book — book production, book provision and book reading. The current Indaba and Book Fair would remain major activities of the National Book Week,” said Chifunyise.

He spoke strongly against piracy, calling it an economic crime which has been made to exist like a justified legal activity.

“There does seem to be a need for a new strategy that takes into consideration that this economic crime has become legitimate business and those involved in it justify their actions giving reasons the general public accept as a legitimate means of earning a living,” he said.

The whole creative industry and the Government must be involved in the new strategy. On the part of the government, he observed that political will is fundamental in thwarting piracy but only copyright holders can build and effect this political will if they advocate with one voice.

The Indaba continued yesterday with two more sessions that deliberated on the topics “Creating The Africa We Want Through Reading (Africa Agenda 2063) and “The Book and Cultural Preservation, Conservation and Transmission”.

The ZIBF runs until Saturday, August 5, in the Harare Gardens with lots of activities for both adults and children.