Can the continent's publishing industry turn a page?

Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions, a novel about growing up in colonial Zimbabwe, is one of the most important works of 20th-century African literature and features on university curriculums across the UK.

- Fred Harter

British students can order a used copy for less than £3 ($3.70).

But readers struggle to find it in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe and Dangarembga's home town, even though it is published in neighbouring South Africa. "It's very, very difficult to find my books anywhere in Zimbabwe," said Dangarembga.

African literature is thriving, and its impact on the global scene continues to grow. In 2021, African authors won the Nobel prize for literature, the Booker prize and the Camões prize for literature, the Portuguese-speaking world's highest literary award. The New York Times hailed it as "the year for African literature".

This year the release of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel in 10 years is a hotly anticipated publishing event; many more authors from the continent continue to win recognition in Europe and America.

Yet most Africans struggle to find either new works or classics by authors such as Dangarembga. Few countries have industries producing books locally.

Many also lack public library systems that not only lend books but nurture independent publishers by buying up copies of new works, said Ainehi Edoro, founder of Brittle Paper, an online platform about African literature.