Bulawayo authors are calling on the government and private sector to provide support for local writers, emphasising the need for affirmative action to boost the literary scene.
In a recent interview, author Ashley Zhou stated: “As political book authors in Bulawayo, we do not have platforms to showcase our work.”
“In Bulawayo, we lack publishing houses to support our works, which limits our growth.
“We urge the government and private sector to implement affirmative action programs so that we are supported within economic spaces.”
Zhou said he has published four books that examine the country’s political landscape.
“As political authors, we appeal for support from the government for platforms to support our work, as it is their responsibility to uplift the livelihood of every citizen regardless of political affiliation,” he said.
Zhou asserted that hosting the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Bulawayo is futile without platforms for local authors to publish their work, rendering it unbeneficial to them.
“We are facing a huge challenge as political authors, as we have to travel to Harare for our books to be published because they have a private publisher, Sapes Trust,” he said.
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“This makes it seem like politics is only in Harare.”
Zhou called on Bulawayo's local leaders to cease their reluctance, as they have consistently failed to provide platforms for book authors to publish their work.
Bulawayo hosted the International Book Fair, a two-day event that ended last Friday.
The book fair among other aims, is a platform meant to uplift and provide growth for book authors.
