Nairobi International Book fair is back after a two-year break

The 22nd edition of the Nairobi International Book Fair. [Courtesy]

The Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) is back after a two-year break occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisers say the event is a big relief to publishers and their umbrella body, the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA).

The 23rd Nairobi International Book Fair is scheduled to be held from Wednesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 2, 2022, at Sarit Center Expo Hall, Westlands, Nairobi.

The book fair is poised as the regional marketplace for books and it brings together publishing professionals, authors, booksellers, print suppliers, media, and readers from Africa and around the world.

The NIBF has been held for the last 23 years and has grown to be one of the leading book exhibition places in the region.

The event is organised by the Kenya Publishers Association.

Under the theme of 'Publishing for the new era', activities lined up during the book fair period include workshops and seminars on topical issues, book launches, children's activities and a presentation of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature co-sponsored by Madison Group.

Other activities include a budding Authors Seminar, a Seminar on how to get published, book clearance sale and a raffle for books- Publishers will sell books at huge discounts, book exhibitions and assessing unlimited business opportunities.

Books whether creative works or factual texts, serve as a reflection of the society from which the writers are drawn.

It is often taken for granted that when people read, positive change is the inevitable outcome.

"When one looks at the social ills afflicting, our nation it is easy to conclude that even though we read the results to a large extent do not seem to suggest that the desired change takes place," Kenya Publishers Association said in a statement.

According to the association, this being the case it is therefore important to ensure that society can still be able to communicate effectively on issues that confront it and at the same time be able to do so through books.