All is not well with handling of Nairobi book fairs

Thirdly, the Nairobi International Book Fair has to be seen as part of the larger national cultural and art heritage.

Yes, it is a festival of books and book people, but it should also be recognised as a major date on the cultural calendar of Nairobi, Kenya and the region.

The fact that I was able to interact with publishers from India and Senegal at last year’s festival is an indicator that with good marketing and publicity, this fair can truly become “international”.

As it stands today — maybe this year’s will reflect a diversity of publishing representations — the show is much of a Kenyan affair with a few publishers from across our borders.

Therefore, the organisers need to push government ministries of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Nairobi Metropolitan, Education and even Foreign Affairs to be active promoters and participants in its activities.

Lastly, peg the show on some “big name” writer, even if it is only to get the publicity. Once in a while people want to attend such festivals to meet their “heroes and heroines” and not the “usual suspects.”

Also, it would be worthwhile to think about the accessibility of the location of the show.

Wouldn’t space such as the Kenyatta International Conference Centre be more accessible to more people? Otherwise the fair will continue to be patronised by those bused-in confused looking schoolchildren.

And the publicity has to be much better than the current minimalist approach.

This is the book fair of the region. So, why not shout about it?