The dates for the Zimbabwe International Book Fair have been set for 29 July – 2 August 2019. Part of the annual Zimbabwean showcase is the Indaba Conference on the 29 and 30 July 2019.  The theme of the 2019 Indaba Conference is “Footprints of the Book: Milestones & Opportunities”.

In the past, previous themes of the Indaba focused on the character and the future of the book in its various forms. This includes important issues that affect the writing, publishing and sale of books like piracy, reading culture, pricing and the digital character of the book of today.

Often these have been a bit too gloomy!

We’re glad to see a chirpier theme which is; ‘Footprints of the Book: Milestones and Opportunities’; inspired by the literary boom of the 1980s. This era in Zimbabwean literature is responsible for the rise of Literary royalty such as Charles Mungoshi, Dambudzo Marechera, Barbara Nkala, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Yvonne Vera, Virginia Phiri, Chenjerai Hove, Musaemura Zimunya and Shimmer Chinodya.

If you’re interested, you can submit your topics and abstracts incorporating the following sub-themes: 

Mutation and the Evolution of the Book

• ICT and the Virtual Library – Moving into the Future
• From Print to e-Books

Forwards and Backwards: Reminiscing the Book

• Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation – The Future of Africa
• Triggering the  Renaissance of the writing and publishing of books in Zimbabwe, the Region and in Africa
• Evaluating the economic contributions and impact of the bookselling sector

Motivating Content Generation in the Digital Age

• Pros and cons of e-publishing
• Social media and e-publishing

Creating Synergies in the Book Industry

• The Nexus Between Books and People
• Evaluating the Book Industry’s focus on Climate, Science, Medicine, Environment etc

The Political Economy of the Book in Africa

• Role of Libraries in the Transformation of African Societies
• The Role of the Book in Achieving the SDGs, Women and Children’s issues
• Intellectual Property, Copyright and Piracy Issues

Abstracts of not more than 500 words in Times New Roman script with 1.15 line spacing should be submitted by 15 April 2019 by email to events@zibfa.org.zw with a copy to zibfa@yahoo.com.

The abstracts will be reviewed by experts and authors of selected abstracts will be notified by 30 April 2019.