Over the past few years the Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) has taken a new shape, gradually positioning itself as the book fair of choice in the West African sub-region.
Last year, the Accra International Conference Centre hosted over 100 exhibitors from Ghana, Nigeria and other West African countries, as well as from India, China, USA, Canada, Turkey etc. and over 14,000 visitors.
In the past 5 years, the GIBF (a yearly event between August and September) has seen a tremendous improvement in the quality of organization, patronage and positive feedback.
[contextly_sidebar id=”3u6nwt3AmjcEJWCHOB8V0baQQQhWIj7C”]This year’s GIBF comes off from 30th August to 2nd September, 2018 at the prestigious Accra International Conference Centre. It is under the theme, “Revitalizing the Book Chain for National and International Cooperation”.
This year’s fair is expected to involve about 140 local and foreign exhibitors. The fair opens at 9 am and closes at 7pm daily.
As part of this year’s edition, the 16th, two of Ghana’s literary icons—Prof. Atukwei Okai & Prof. Kofi Awoonor— have been selected to be celebrated during an event dubbed “Literary Legends Evening”, originally designed to be an annual segment of the Fair to celebrate literary icons.
This edition is designed to take the form of a Ghanaian Storytelling session: feature performances as dance by the Noyam Dance Institute, folk & palm wine music by Seyram Ghana, Nene Narh & Nii Muzik and poetry by Daavi Emefa, Chieff Moomen & Oswald Okaitei. There will also be a live painting by one of Ghana’s young finest artist who has many international awards and worked with Hollywood—Prince Kojo Hilton.
[contextly_sidebar id=”JJqVkdAc9VAflmiOjTQt4alWP6zorn3G”]The audience will also be allowed to share reminiscences and tributes and read poems either by the late poets or by others in their honour. As an icing to the cake, one of the sons of the late Prof. Kofi Awoonor, Afetsi Awoonor (who survived the terrorist attack at the West Gate Mall in Nairobi), will also be one of the many people who will read a poem at the event.
As set to be a conversational event, contemporaries of the late literary icons who would form the panelists for the evening include Prof. Lade Wosornu, Dr. Mawuli Adjei, Anumyam and Mr. Fred Mwanga Agboli and Mr. Allotey Pappoe and the Curator is Mrs. Selikem Acolatse (Host of ‘Women’s Voice’ on GBC 24). Date is 1st September, 2018 and venue is the Accra International Conference Centre from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Entry is free; interested persons should contact +233 244 174 908.
The Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) is an annual cultural event organised in Ghana to celebrate rich Ghanaian cultures through books. The idea behind organizing the book fair is to bring together all book industry players including publishers, editors, authors/writers, designers, illustrators, printers, librarians, booksellers, students, teachers and a host of allied organizations, to share ideas and explore business opportunities in the book industry.
The fair also aims at exposing readers to a wide array of books; creating literacy awareness and inculcating reading habits and writing skills into the general public. It is worthy to underscore that the GIBF has embraced the focus of the aforementioned industry players including that of international communities.
Other activities of the 16th Ghana International Book Fair include ICT seminar on E-learning for junior and senior high school students, Time with Authors, Editing Workshop, Education in an atmosphere of fun, featuring — Spoken Word/Acoustic Music and Comedy by Ehalakasa, Abrefi’s Show— for male and female teens and tweens on menstruation and teenage pregnancy.
The 16th Ghana International Book Fair will be officially opened on Thursday 30th August, 2018 from 10:00am – 12:00 noon.
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Source: Oswald Okaite