GCLF At the London Book Fair 2013

Having recently been named UNESCO World Book Capital City 2014, the Nigerian metropolis of Port Harcourt is set to unveil plans for a series of events that fall under the theme; Books: Windows to Our World of Possibilities. The team behind Port Harcourt’s historic bid for the World Book Capital City title will be at this year’s London Book Fair to share their vision of literary programmes and interactive activities designed to celebrate Nigeria’s literary culture, promote reading and broaden the horizons of the nation’s young people.

Referred to as the ‘Garden City’, Port Harcourt was best known as the hub of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry but in recent years, it has emerged as a significant literary destination in sub-Saharan Africa, partly due to the success of the annual Garden City Literary Festival which draws writers, publishers, academics and the reading public from around Africa and further afield to a week-long celebration of literature and the arts.

The World Book Capital is a title conferred on a city by UNESCO in recognition of its initiatives to increase interest in books and reading and to promote cooperative links between all sectors of the book industry. Chosen cities hold the title from World Book and Copyright Day (April 23rd) of one year to next. Port Harcourt is the first sub-Saharan African city to hold the title and the first African city to win by public bid. In the first three years of the UNESCO initiative, cities were nominated by a panel. Since 2004 however, nomination has been by a public call for bids and Port Harcourt was one of 11 cities around the world to bid for the 2014 candidature. The judging panel, made up of representatives from UNESCO, the International Publisher’s Association (IPA), the International Federation of Library associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) said of Port Harcourt’s selection:

“Port Harcourt was nominated World Book Capital City 2014 on account of the quality of its programme, in particular its focus on youth and the impact it would have on improving Nigeria’s culture of books, reading, writing and publishing to improve literacy rates”.

Port Harcourt will be the 14th World Book Capital City when it takes over from Bangkok in April 2014. As 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the creation of Nigeria, the city will be celebrating with a range of events including initiatives to inspire young writers, engaging the community in literary and arts exhibitions, promoting the publishing industry, building capacity for the running of libraries and book clubs and the creation of collaborative publications such as “The Walking Book” and an anthology of 100 Nigerian writers entitled “Nigerian Literature: A Coat of Many Colours”.  The emphasis is on empowering Nigeria’s greatest resource – its youthful human capital.

Representatives from Port Harcourt will be at the London Book Fair from Monday 15th till Wednesday 17th April 2013 and the media are invited to a special presentation of the 2014 World Book Capital City program entitled “Introducing Port Harcourt” which will take place on Tuesday 16th April at 10 am at Stand EC2 X305 opposite the Literary Translation Centre.

For further information contact: Daniella Menezor: +234 8023187731 or Effie White: +44 7981 794247 or send enquiries to info@portharcourtworldbookcapital.org.