Finally, the Yaoundé Youth Book and Comic Book Fair (Salon du livre de jeunesse et de la BD de Yaoundé ) – SALIJEY could be held as announced in early December 2022. At the initiative of Akoma Mba Publishing, a pioneer of children’s books in Central Africa, this annual event is positioned as the first platform dedicated to children’s books in Cameroon and in the sub-region. This edition has seen the partnership of several institutions and organisations including: the Cameroonian Ministry of Arts and Culture (MINAC), the Muna Kalati association and the African Observatory of Publishing Professionals (OAPE AFRICA). This Focus provides a brief summary of what was said and done during this major event for the children’s book industry in sub-Saharan Africa.
The African children’s book at its best
The children’s publishing industry in French-speaking Africa is still very embryonic and recent. The oldest publisher still active is Ganndal (Guinea Conakry), which is the organiser of the Salon International du Livre de Jeunesse de Conakry. In Central Africa, Akoma Mba is the oldest. For the latter, organiser of the very first Salon du livre de jeunesse et de la bande dessinée de Yaoundé (SALIJEY), there seemed to be an urgent need to bring together the main actors in the youth book chain to discuss the issue and thus find alternatives and solutions. The event was therefore primarily an opportunity to achieve this objective. For more than a week, Yaoundé brought together most of the actors of the children’s book and comic book industry on the continent.
An attractive programme of activities
What struck us immediately was the density of the programme offered during the book fair. It ran from 6 to 10 December 2022, with another day (23 December) devoted to the presentation of prizes and other awards. Even though the exhibition was held at the Esplanade of the Reunification Monument in Yaoundé, the event was relocated each time to bring the same joy for books to other children in outlying towns. Thus, the towns of Mbalmayo (in the central region) and Dschang (in the west of the country) benefited from this assistance. Several professionals (children’s writers, illustrators) came to work directly with the young children in their natural environment.
For the organisers, this edition ended on a very positive note. For them, publishers and other book professionals in Africa communicated with professionals from the rest of the world, which allowed them to identify problems, frustrations, but also challenges and opportunities for the future. In addition to drawing, illustration and writing workshops with children, the committee also brought together professionals for several conferences and round tables. Among the themes addressed during these exchanges were: ‘‘Children’s books and digital technology: what innovative approaches in terms of reading, dissemination and distribution?’’, ‘‘Children’s literature and disability: what representations in contemporary African works?’’, ‘‘The economic model of comic book publishers in Africa: particularities and opportunities’’, ‘‘The impact of literary prizes on the economy of children’s books in Afric’’, ‘‘What content for African children’s books?’’ and ‘‘The power of women in African history.’’
