Dear Friends,
In March, our team participated in two events, the London Book Fair and the annual Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) in US. Some highlights:
At the London Book Fair, Mercy Kirui chaired a panel on publishing for sustainable development, specifically the roles and relationships of publishers in Africa. The panelists included Ama Dadson, Founder and CEO of Akoobooks, Ghana; Goretti Kyomuhendo, Author of Whispers from Vera and Director of the African Writers Trust, Uganda; and Gbadega Adedapo, CEO of Accessible Publishers, Nigeria. Mercy shared this reflection: “As we delved into the roles of African publishers in sustainable development, the panelists provided intriguing insights about their efforts to publish high-quality, appealing books. Cost and affordability issues arose… if they want their books to reach a wide range of people, they must make them affordable.”
In Miami, Anna Martin chaired an inclusive education panel at CIES on March 11th focusing on the impact of accessible learning materials in local sign languages toward recognition of sign languages as official languages of nations and languages of instruction in schools. Discussants included Georgine Auma, Director of Studio KSL at eKitabu; Christopher Kurz and Patrick Graham from Rochester Institute of Technology; Sekerani Kufakwina from the Malawi National Association of the Deaf; and Samuel Munana, Executive Director of Rwanda National Union of the Deaf. Anna’s readout: "CIES 2024 was an exceptional event. The audience was highly engaged and had many questions for our panelists. The conversation that started in our session sparked engagement throughout the week, and we hope it will continue with meaningful collaboration!”
A final note. This month we have lost the father of Kenyan publishing, Dr. Henry Miyinzi Chakava, who passed away on Friday 8th. Dr. Chakava was a pioneer publisher in Africa and the Chairman of East African Educational Publishers. Dr. Chakava’s contributions to the publishing industry in Kenya, Africa, and the world will always be remembered. As we, his family, EAEP, and friends mourn him, we will keep his memory in our hearts. Dr. Chakava’s work and memory also live on in the creative publishing exploits of his daughters, the author Yolanda Chakava, and the marketing innovator Sharon Banda, and the many colleagues in EAEP led by Managing Director Kamau Kiarie, Chairman of Kenya Publishers Association. Dr. Chakava: your legacy is in good hands. Safiri salama daktari.
Warmest regards,
Will