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Tanzanian authors at the mercy of publishers
2007-08-08 14:27:57
By Mwaka Nakasula
The Zanzibar International Film festival recently hosted a brainstorming literacy forum in which various issues affecting the literature industry were discussed. In this report staff writer Mwaka Nakasula reviews the various issues raised at the forum. Read on...
EXPERTS in literature and authors in general have raised concern at the poor state of literature in the country, pointing an accusing finger at authors, publishers and readers alike.
Discussing the issue at the forum, some scholars and renowned book writers noted several setbacks which the industry faces and that have sent the industry almost running down the drain.
Among the participants was a prominent author, Adam Syaf, who during his presentation identified three problems affecting local Tanzanian writers, the tendency by Tanzanian publishers to employ favouritism in accepting manuscripts, ineffective copyright laws and lack of recognition of authors and writers by state organs.
He explained that Tanzanian writers belong to the old generation of writers who do little to raise the interest and cater for the needs of the present readers.
``Unfortunately too the new generation has failed to produce writers partly because the environment to produce good writers does not exist,” he said, adding that schools which play a critical role in developing and encouraging young writers have failed to do so.
``Tanzania writers are writing for no one. It is also unfortunate that there is no accessibility of books and the country has very few libraries. This has also been a major stumbling block,`` he said.
But there is also a lack of reading culture among Tanzanians. Even with the little number of books and a lot of publications including newspapers, not many Tanzanians spend sometime reading either for recreation or to learn new things.
However he noted that the Book Development Council of Tanzania has embarked on an impressive project to develop school libraries and train teachers. The move might help to raise the interest of reading among school children and teachers.
But is the relationship between authors and publishers healthy enough to promote the literature industry? The answer is definitely not.
“Tanzanian publishers are very selective in accepting manuscripts. They treat publishing one’s manuscript more of a favour than a right,” Syaf charged.
Instead he said, they go for where the big money is, and that is in school text books and other educational materials, a situation which leaves writers with a very weak bargaining power.
“It is worse when it comes to crucial matters of royalty. Very few Tanzanian writers are paid royalties. It’s a take it or leave it situation that has at times forced authors to sell their copyrights,” he said.
One serious problem, he said, is that, there is no mechanism to monitor quantities of books published thus do not know how much income they are supposed to earn for their work.
Besides he said that local writers feel neglected by other stakeholders and authorities , citing the case of the Copyright Society of Tanzania, which he said is more interested in music than literature.
Syaf also said that many authors and writers are ignorant of the copyright law and their works are thus vulnerable to piracy.
On the other hand he claimed that Tanzanian missions abroad are of little help in the issue as they have no money to take action on stolen Tanzanian literary work abroad.
``The Tanzanian Writers Association founded in 1978 must now wake up and confront head on the problems which local writers are facing. They have to protect their rights and promote their welfare by tracking down sales of their works and the subsequent payment of royalties,” he challenged.
He said that the organisation must also be legally empowered to make an audit as a way of ensuring that writers are justly treated.
Other recommendations by Syaf included the transformation of the association from a social union of writers to a professional body that is empowered to protect the interests of writers.
\"There should be a memorandum of understanding that would give the society the mandate for arbitration\", he said.
The discussion which bought together various writers and publishers was facilitated by renowned book publisher Walter Bgoya.
Various arguments were expressed in response to Syaf\'s presentation, including the need to address various inequalities between publishers and writers.
In another presentation which reviewed the state of literature and publishing in East Africa, guest speaker Prof. Mugyabusu Mulokozi explained that the prospect of an the East African Federation is likely to increase the volume of literature published in Kiswahili.
``We expect to have more mature literature in Kiswahili from Burundi, Uganda and Kenya,`` he said.
Tanzania has over the years also experienced a massive inflow of English literature as compared to the past mainly due to the emergence of English medium schools which have in turn increased the readership of English publications.
Prof Mugyabusu also noted that literature in indigenous languages was witnessing a slow death mentioning Kenya as being much better off as literature in indigenous languages by famous writers such as Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is still selling well in the country.
``His poetry was still alive in East Africa giving hope to its 500 year history.It is still actively published in most Tanzanian newspapers rather than in book form,`` he said adding that there is a deepening relationship between indigenous classical poetry and the famous bongo flava music which proves to be a more popular way of presenting the latter to the younger audience.
Speaking about drama, he said that this form of art in East Africa traces its history from the 1950s and has established a solid developmental base in countries such as Kenya.
Plays produced in the larger part of East Africa are now being converted into films, he noted.
Describing the current state of literature productions in Tanzania, Prof Mulolozi noted that a lot of literature in Kiswahili is being produced which is based mainly on fiction.
``The country has also witnessed a reproduction of a lot of classic literature while foreign publications from countries such as Russia have been translated into Kiswahili,`` he noted.
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