Nairobi, Kenya - African book publishers Tuesday launched an appeal to protect school children from relying on literature that is less suitable for their learning. “The book shelves are filled with books that are not tailored for the African children...the African authors who write for children do not know what to write,” said Christiane Tchotocho Ekue, the Director, Seeds of Thought Editions, a Togolese publishing firm specialised on children books.

Speaking during an Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) conference on book development in Africa, Ekue said African children needed to read books on local history and taboo subjects like sex.

“We need to get out of this sexist attitude,” she said, challenging writers to stop splashing book images of mothers in kitchens and men driving cars and using computers.

She said libraries were required in schools to ensure a culture of reading is promoted in schools.

'They have to launch a campaign to promote a culture of reading in a similar way in which the campaign to eradicate malaria has been carried out. Publishing is an important industry because of the role that books play in the development of everybody's life,' Ekue told PANA.

The African publishers, holding a three-day meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to discuss the future of publishing in Africa, also called for government protection of their rights.

A Malawian publisher decried the inability of the country's publishers to operate effectively, saying the government dominated the publishing sector at the primary school level.

“The people are not able to get the right material. We only publish for secondary school students but most publishers have no ability to produce the books because they do not know whether they will be able to sell the material,” the Malawian publisher said.

The ADEA conference, which has attracted 60 book publishers and representatives of government agencies, is seeking to reach broad agreements on the general improvement of the education quality in Africa.

Elieshi Lema, a Tanzanian author advocated for the use of female-authors to promote the learning of children at the lowest levels of education.

“A feminist approach is a valid approach,” she insisted, amid opposition to her view that the art of writing should be based on skills, not gender.

“Women have a sensitivity to children, which makes them write better,” Lema insisted.

However, ADEA Executive Secretary Ahlin Bill Cateria disagreed, saying there was a need to promote gender equality, which means respecting the rights of both men and women.

“It confirms what we have always said...children do not have good books in several areas, yet their interest in knowledge is indispensable,” Cateria told the experts meeting.

Pana 05/10/2011