The African Book Fair in Paris 2024 will highlight the wealth of African literature.

Explore the vibrant world of African literature at the Paris African Book Fair 2024. Celebrating diversity, culture, and literary innovation.

on Mar 19, 2024

The African Book Fair in Paris 2024 will highlight the wealth of African literature.| Frontlist

The third edition of the "Paris African Book Fair" opened on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the town hall of the 6th arrondissement, Place Saint-Sulpice, in the French capital. Since its inception in 2021, the Fair has become a popular forum for discussion, reflection, and debate. The effort aims to honor and promote African literature while also paying tribute to African writers, poets, publishers, and writers of African heritage.

Paris became the literature capital of African Books for three days, ending on Sunday, March 17, 2024. The 2024 African Book Fair in Paris gathered around 200 authors and 80 publishers from Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean to "celebrate the diversity of a thriving global literature."

The presence and visibility of African literature

The Paris African Book Fair's Director, Erick Monjour, claimed that the project was in response to a demand "for legitimacy, presence, and visibility of African literature in France, Europe, and elsewhere." This showcase is meant to provide an opportunity for writers and publishers to meet and discuss ideas with the general public about Africa's place in the world, as seen through the eyes of writers, poets, Africans, and African descendants.

The theme for this year's edition was "Breaking Boundaries of Imagination, Rethinking Futures". The issue was debated in thirty conferences and round tables for students and the general public. The Fair showcased the work of authors in French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, and over 1000 African languages.

The African Paris Fair activities covered a wide range of topics relating to the theme as well as literary sectors (stories, literature, tales, current events, comics, children's publishing, and more). The Salon featured exhibitions, performances, and screenings, as well as other artistic offerings (poetry, stories, and music). It also provided an opportunity for French, European, and African publishers to gather.

Moving beyond territorial and linguistic boundaries.

The organizers saw the theme as an invitation to think on African literature beyond territorial, linguistic, or even ethnic compartmentalizations. It is a decompartmentalization that will allow us to go beyond restricted, simplistic, and damaging beliefs and narratives about Africa. Hopefully, this will spark and develop a more permanent cultural image of Africa and its descendants all across the world. The goal is to highlight Africa's originality and richness, as well as its people and cultures, for the benefit of African literature. And for Erick Monjour, Director of the Paris African Book Fair, this entails building bridges across diverse literary genres.

During the Fair, Ivory Coast was the guest country of honour, with special recognition paid to Henri Lopes, a recently deceased writer and politician. Other notable Ivorian writers were also honored.reats.