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Far-reaching
changes to parliament planned
Njabulo Ncube
, Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
August 13, 2004
http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2004/August/August13/6211.shtml
A total of 29
384 people passed through the ZIBF gates during the week long Book
Fair. PARTICIPANTS and visitors at the 2004 edition of the Zimbabwe
International Book Fair (ZIBF) have described the event, which ended
last Saturday, as a major success.
Senator Delano
Franklyn, the Jamaican Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade officially opened the Book Fair this year.
He described the Fair as a big success adding that it had come as
a challenge to the Caribbean delegation to establish a Book Fair
in their region.
"I believe
the Book Fair has been a success in terms of stands, the nature
of organization, contacts and number of visitors," Senator
Franklyn told Journalists during a media briefing held at the ZIBF
grounds.
He said he hoped
that countries in the Caribbean would take a cue from ZIBF to organise
similar exhibitions in their own countries. "As we speak, the
Caribbean is the only region in the world that does not have an
international book fair," Senator Franklyn said. "I hope
the success of the ZIBF will act as an impetus to urge us to organise
an international book fair. I am prepared to do what I can to organise
such a book fair."
"This year
has been a success and I am sure those who have been following the
Book Fair in the last few years will agree with me," said Mr
Dakarai Mashava of Consumers International.
"We have
been getting people coming in their numbers to make inquiries and
flip through some of our publications. We have also managed to establish
a number of contacts." Mr Wycliffe Khavuchi, the sales and
marketing manager at East African Educational Publishers in Kenya
said: "This year has been a great improvement from last year.
We have made contacts and now we know who can buy our books. What
is now needed is for us to make follow-ups."
A record 450
stands were booked at the ZIBF this year, surpassing ZIBF’s record
of 375 stands booked in 1999. The figure is more than a double jump
from last year when only 175 stands were taken up.
ZIBF 2004 whose
theme is "Voices – Dialogue Across Nations," attracted
exhibitors, participants and traders from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana,
Nepal, India, Trinidad, Guyana, United Kingdom, United States, Norway,
Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Sweden among other countries.
The Indaba,
a scholarly symposium which prefaces the ZIBF, was held under the
theme "African Studies in and Outside Africa." Among those
who made the line-up of speakers at the Indaba are world-acclaimed
Jamaican dub-poet Mutabaruka, Zimbabwe’s Professors George Kahari,
Rukudzo Murapa, Walter Kamba, Dr Hope Sadza, and Dr Vimbai Chivaura,
Profs Terence Ranger (UK), Helge Ronning (Norway), Miguel Lorne
(Jamaica), Ian Randle (Jamaica), Mai Palmberg, Yinka Lawal-Solarin(Nigeria)
and Flora Veit-Wild (Germany).
The Fair also
saw ZIBF unveiling a list of Zimbabwe’s 75 Best Books of the Century.
ZIBF Executive Director, Mr. Samuel Matsangaise said this morning:
"I think the event as a whole has been a success. This is also
the response I have been getting from participants I have spoken
to and we would like to thank our board of trustees, the dedicated
and diligent staff at the ZIBF office, our corporate partners and
all stakeholders for their support."
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