Mish fairs well at the Cape Town Book Fair!

I could open this post with a profound quote by someone like TS Elliot or Mark Twain or some scholar but that would be so brainy. I like this:

Image source

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
~ Dr. Seuss ~

This year was the first time our publishing company did not take part in the Cape Town Book Fair. This was truly a disappointing notion, but it did not keep me from attending. This celebration of authors, book launches and all things literature, spanned over 3 days from 15 to 17 June 2012. The fair was described as a three day extravaganza with launches, poetry corners, meet and the author sessions, book signings, coffee spots and digital zones for the e-book fanatics! It promised a specific hit for every book lover whether your poison is a fiction, nonfiction, children & youth or dictionaries! There was a lot to choose from.

If this fair was a book, and the exhibitors were pages, compared to last year, numerous pages were ripped out. The Cape Town Book Fair is but a mere 7 years old and already the numbers have dwindled. Brain Wafawarowa, Executive Chair of the Cape Town Book Fair was confident that 30 000 visitors would attend this Literature festival. Hmmm, do I think there were 30k visitors? Nope. Do we need this fair to be sustained and grow in number and popularity? Yes! Yes! Yes, and here is why!

The world is a book and those who do not travel only read a page. ~ Anonymous

Standing at the fair, lost without a stand in a myriad of books, authors, booksellers and publishing houses, I trailed the walk ways in search of authors, books, games or anything in particular that would tickle my interest. Even though a lot of exhibitors including Exclusive Books, Jonathan Ball Publishers and even ours didn’t have a presence at the fair, it somehow seemed like it did not take away from the fair’s variety.

 I discovered The Writing Room (www.thewritingroom.co.za) which offers courses and coaching in novel writing, memoirs and article writing, to name a few. Another stand that caught my attention was the South African Library for the Blind, known as SALB in short. SALB was at the fair to create awareness about blind readers and their shortage of books. We are so fortunate to have the gift of sight and yet spend our eyes on some less than noble things at times. Being visually impaired or becoming visually impaired can be one of the most challenging trials to endure. Many people, who become blind at an older age, either find it difficult to learn Braille or they don’t care to learn it because the loss of their sight is so traumatic. The library purchases books and has it set in Braille, recorded to audio and makes it available in their library. Ria Greaves , head of circulation at the library said that there is a need for audio books in English and African Languages. This is such a worthy cause to get involved in. All you need to do to help them is to volunteer to read a book for audio recording. To get involved, contact: Ria Greaves at ria.greaves@salb.org.co.za or visit www.salb.org.co.za . Give your voice to be someone’s eyes.

Ex minister of Arts, culture and science, Pallo Jordan and esteemed author André P. Brink were also found at the ANFASA stand where Sindiwe Magona was talking about her latest book, From Robben Island to Bishopscourt. Sindiwe pulls a crowd like no other. This candid author captivated the crowd with parts of her life story and off course, her latest book. A true inspiration with many accolades to her name, she believes her gift is to change lives and that it is never too late to make a change. I am not going to reveal too much about this author because this is a post all on its own!

Jane Raphaely

A great book to look forward to and the only purchase I made as recommended by TarrynJo. Hmmm Tarryn, this one is for you and I trust your judgement on this one! This book is the much anticipated autobiography by the Chairman of Associated Magazines. If rumours are correct, this book is set to be on the topseller list. Whatch this space. 

I would say the book fair was well supported but could stand to regain more of its exhibitors, lost visitors and build on what is a worthy fair. Maya Angelou says if you know better, you do better. As Saturday was Youth Day, I would say we have good reason and a responsibility to do better. The youth needs to know better and to inspire a culture of reading amoungst them, it is our duty to keep the book alive in the digital age. We have already gained a digital platform but initiatives like The Cape Town Book Fair will inspire the next generation of quality authors like Marita Van Der Vyver, Deon Meyer or Adam Small. Support the Cape Town Book Fair and sow a seed with our youth!