16 Aug Mombasa Book Fair a Success

By Mbugua Ngunjiri

The Mombasa Regional Book Fair almost failed to take place despite the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) having set dates and scouted a venue for the event. The indecision was informed by the rains that were pounding most parts of the country in late April and early May.

Matters became complicated when the government indefinitely postponed the reopening of schools for the second term. It was almost a Déjà vu moment for publishers as it brought back painful memories of the Covid-19 Pandemic that prevented the holding of the Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) in 2020 and 2021.

The postponement of the 2021 event was especially hard to bear for publishers as it came at the very last minute, when all the plans had been laid out, only for the president to announce additional containment measures, following the outbreak of a new, more virulent Covid variant.

For the Mombasa Fair, though, saner heads within KPA prevailed and who decided to stick with the original plans. As if on cue, the rains subsided and schools were reopened. Still, there some lingering doubts; what if something went wrong, some publishers rationalised.

Matters were not helped by some unhelpful stereotypes to the effect that people from the coast do not read as much as the rest of Kenyans.

Unknown to the publishers, coast people were waiting to debunk that unfortunate stereotype big time. From the time the Mombasa Regional Book Fair opened its doors, at the picturesque Mama Ngina Waterfront, on Wednesday, May 29, to the last day on Saturday, June 1, book lovers and school parties poured to the venue in their numbers.

For the four days that the publishers laid out their wares at the venue, they almost got overwhelmed by the sheer number of visitors flocking to the stands. This however, was a welcome problem for the exhibitors because it meant that they made brisk sales.

“The way the Regional Book Fair in Mombasa was enthusiastically received was beyond our expectations,” says Kiarie Kamau, the chairman of KPA. “In the first place, the County Government of Mombasa was very receptive to our advance Team, which was led by our CEO, James Odhiambo. Virtually all the senior personnel they approached gave a helping hand to ensure the success of the Fair.”

Mombasa governor, Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir, had personally confirmed that he would beavailable to officiate the official opening of the Fair, but then the Muguka politics and raid on his TV station happened.

“Governor Nassir instead sent the CEC in charge of Education, Dr. Mbwarali Kame, who did a sterling job and demonstrated their government’s commitment to education,” said Kamau, who is also the CEO of East African Educational Publishers.

In his speech, one could feel Dr Kame’s pain as regards the muguka menace, when he announced that their fight against muguka addiction, among the youth, informed the dogged fight against the substance. He also revealed that last August, when MV Logos Hope docked in Mombasa filled with books, Governor Nassir purchased books worth Ksh1 million to be stocked at the Mombasa County Library.

And speaking of the library, publishers donated books worth Ksh1.1 million to the facility, which was recently devolved from the main Kenya National Library Services, to the counties. Speaking during the handing over ceremony Kithusi Mulonzya, a member of the KPA governing council, announced that the publishers’ body is exploring ways of working with the county libraries to ensure that books get to Kenyans in every corner of the country.

That deal, added Mulonzya, would also see the libraries get a top-up of books equivalent to the number of books they purchased from the publishers.

The choice of Mama Ngina Waterfront to host the event was quite inspired. Not only did visitors interact with books, they also got to savor the visual spectacle of the venue, that has a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean, just next to the Likoni Ferry.

Inspired by the scenic beauty of the park, Mary Maina, the chair of the NIBF that organises book events for KPA, waxed poetic when she quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19^th Century American essayist, who famously remarked that ‘nature and books belong to the eyes that see them’.

Ms Maina, who is also the CEO of Moran Publishers, noted that the Mombasa book fair was the ideal Launchpad for the Silver Jubilee anniversary celebrations of NIBF. “KPA has consistently held the NIBF every year, since 1998, apart from 2021, when the whole country was under lockdown, due to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” she added.

One of the main highlights of the Mombasa Regional Book Fair, was the launch of Calamity of the Kasigau, a historical fictional book telling the struggles of the Kasigau community, found at the border of Kenya and Tanzania, that suffered the wrath of British and German colonial soldier during the First World War. The book authored by Gidion Makenzi is published by Storymoja Publishers.

The KPA chair also revealed that Mombasa branch of the Kenya Private Schools Association, who were instrumental in making the Fair a success “demanded that we make it an annual event.”

“Bus-loads of ECDE, primary and secondary school learners kept streaming in, and publishers had a hectic, albeit exciting time, handling all the enquiries and servicing orders,” he explained adding that publishers made far much higher sales than they have done in other Regional Book Fairs.

One marketing manager confided to Maisha Yetu that their sales for the second day had surpassed the total sales for the Eldoret Regional Book Fair, last year.

So, what are some of the factors that contributed to making the Mombasa event such a runaway success? Well, it had something to do with the venue. “Mama Ngina Waterfront offered both a business and leisurely atmosphere. There was breathing space, so to speak,” said Kamau. “Already, KPA is being challenged to consider holding NIBF at Uhuru Park or Uhuru Gardens.”

For one, Uhuru Park and Uhuru Gardens, like Mama Ngina Waterfront, have more than sufficient parking for all vehicles and school buses that bring visitors to the venue. Again, the two rehabilitated venues are centrally located and thus accessible to all.

Johnson Sakaja has led the way by holding the Nairobi Festival, at Uhuru Park, which has been received rather well by Nairobians.

After all, KPA records show that the earliest forms of book fairs were held at Uhuru; so, in essence, this would be a ‘back-to-the-roots’ sort of thing. As the KPA chairman rightly put it, “this is food for thought for the Council.”

Ngunjiri is the curator of Maisha Yetu, a digital Arts and Books media platform mbugua5ngunjiri@gmail.com