FAQ

OAPE is the acronym for “African Observatory of Publishing Professionals” (in french). OAPE works to promote publishing, its actors, its products, its professions and good practices. We work mainly in the countries of the South (Africa and the Caribbean). We carry out reflections, analyses, publications and studies related to our mission. Our work therefore focuses mainly on the development of the publishing industries (books, audiovisual, music, etc.) in Africa and the Caribbean. OAPE strives to make its data on publishing available and intervenes with policy makers, intergovernmental organisations and other non-governmental agents to raise awareness on issues relevant to our mission.

In addition to its specific actions with targeted groups, the Observatory also works on the promotion and enhancement of collective (or individual) initiatives on “Publishing, its products, its actors or its professions”. The Observatory disseminates publishing and encourages Africans to take an interest in it. The Observatory promotes professional practices to make the sector healthier.

We operate as a non-profit organisation with volunteers in about twenty countries and the progressive establishment of national representations (Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Togo – for the moment).

The creation and establishment of OAPE responded to a need: the awareness of the importance of the publishing sector for the development of countries, particularly those in the South. As you are no doubt aware, publishing is at the heart of the communication professions. Whether it is school books, scientific books, technical books, literary books, children’s books, music, films, etc., they are very important for the education, training and culture of the population.

This challenge can only be met if the sector is professionally managed (which includes, in addition to the economic dimension, a cultural dimension of the book). The publishing professional is a cultural promoter, he is at the heart of the development of his sector and can contribute greatly to the development of his country, his continent.

To achieve this objective, we need to know what the main challenges, opportunities and issues are. We need to know how the industry is doing in order to better guide decision-makers (in particular). We believe that this requires working directly with industry professionals. The interest for us is: to have reliable (updated) data at all times and thus have the basic resource, necessary to meet the needs of each professional. We believe that this is the only way to develop the African and Caribbean creative industries in a sustainable way.

The African Observatory of Publishing Professionals (OAPE) is not an association of African publishing houses. There are many corporations that are already doing this work. We are partners with several of them. OAPE welcomes mainly publishing professionals (individuals). If they are in charge of publishing houses, this is an asset, but it is not essential. However, since 2023, the year in which activities were resumed, an OAPE Distribution solution has been set up by the OAPE teams. It will welcome publishers from Africa and the Caribbean who wish to be distributed in this network (which initially covers Central and West Africa). It is only in this circumstance that we work with publishing houses (with member status).

The African Observatory of Publishing Professionals (OAPE) welcomes all actors in the publishing production chain and much more: writers, editors, booksellers, librarians, archivists, graphic designers, readers, critics, researchers, academics, cultural journalists, etc. The organisation is open to all those who wish to progress in the field. Training and development sessions are usually organised within the teams to overcome certain difficulties.

The African Observatory for Publishing Professionals does not (so far) receive any funding from any structure or organisation. All of our actions in the field are supported by the generosity of some of our volunteers. Subscriptions to our specialised magazines also help us to earn money for our activities.

YES. One of the fundamental principles of the Observatory is the pooling of strengths and energies to move the sector forward (together). OAPE strongly believes in the power of partnerships. Since the beginning of our activities, 70% of our actions have been carried out in partnership with other structures or organisations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them. If you think we can build together, contact us now. We will be happy to correspond.

The processing of applications for membership of the African Observatory of Publishing Professionals is done exclusively during the ordinary meeting of the Executive Council. It is during these meetings that each application is studied and feedback is sent to all applicants to inform them of the decision (refusal or acceptance). The average frequency of the Executive Council is 30 days. However, this margin can vary according to urgency and priorities.

When you become a member of OAPE, your annual dues are €0. However, at the time of joining, a mandatory membership fee of €40 is required. This amount is only paid if your application for membership has been validated beforehand. After official notification from the Executive Board, you have a (non-renewable) period of 30 days to pay the requested amount. Once this period has elapsed, the admission decision is automatically cancelled. In this case, there is no going back.

The organisation has an executive board, headed by an executive director. We have several specialised departments (in magazines, in distribution, in digital & audio, in libraries, in visual creations, in content production). In addition, we have national representations that carry out OAPE’s objectives directly in their countries, with the support of the public bodies in charge of culture. For example, the national OAPE office in Togo is organising the first ever Youth Book Fair in the country in October 2023.

OAPE pays particular attention to all issues related to digital publishing or digital books. Moreover, our actions take into account the place of audio books in the development of literature and countries. We believe that the step must necessarily be taken by the publishing houses of the continent and the Caribbean.

We also take into account the new areas of publishing that have developed since the expansion of information and communication technologies. These include: audiovisual publishing, music publishing, software publishing, film publishing.

NO, YOU DO NOT. Not at all. You have to have a love for the development of Africa, of the Caribbean, through publishing (its trades, its products, its trades).