It is no secret that sub-Saharan Africa is absent from the trading of book rights that happens at book fairs around the world. The reasons are two-fold. On one side, there is an obvious capacity problem, one of know-how and access. Are our editors or agents equipped for these negotiations? The second reason has to do with the marketability of the books we produce in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential these books have to travel across the continent and outside it. Are they attractive to other markets? The downside of our unpreparedness in this market is that our writers and publishers are being denied a potentially lucrative income stream from the rights sale of high-quality books.
The Africa Rights Forum is a bold intervention which we hope will address these issues by organising a convergence of African agents, editors and publishers for three consecutive years in the first instance. The inaugural edition will take place on 22-24 November 2023, during the Ake Arts & Book Festival on 22-25 November 2023 in Lagos, Nigeria. The programme of events will include talks, panel discussions, practice sessions, showcases and meetings.
It is time to build the essential blocks that will enable African publishers to have a presence in the rights marketplaces of the world.
We have opportunities for both trainers and attendees. Click here if you are interested in sharing your experience by participating in talks and panel discussions. For the editors/ publishers and agents on the African continent who would like to enjoy this opportunity to hear from international industry leaders, apply here. In addition to the existing trainee agents and editors, we have 4 spaces for the Editors Programme and 6 spaces for the Agents Programme.
Under the Moonlight
We invite you to unwind, relax, and lose yourself in the soothing embrace of captivating bedtime stories. In this enchanting corner, four international story tellers will be giving Ake guests and attendees special bedtime stories from their part of the world. These stories are sure to warm your heart and ease you into a peaceful night's sleep. Let the storytelling begin, click here to enjoy the stories we weave
Story Tellers
Kathryn Scanlan
Kathryn Scanlan is the author of Aug 9—Fog, The Dominant Animal and Kick the Latch.
She is the recipient of a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Pushcart Prize, a Windham-Campbell Prize for fiction, the Gordon Burn Prize, and fellowships from the Jan Michalski Foundation and MacDowell. Originally from Iowa, she lives in Los Angeles.