Centre for the Book’s Community Publishing Project finalist for ACT Cultural Development Award

The Centre for the Book’s Community Publishing Project is a finalist for the ACT Cultural Development Award 2007 sponsored by Distell, the other finalists are Art Bank Joburg and Art for Humanity.

The Community Publishing Project (CPP) Based at the Centre for the Book, the CPP provides advice, funding and technical support to writers and writers’ groups in South Africa, to help them develop publishing skills and to undertake the publishing and marketing of works produced in their communities. The Centre for the Book is a specialist unit of the National Library of South Africa.

Over a six year period 29 books have been published with grants from the CPP. Writers and writers’ groups from all regions and working in a range of indigenous South African languages have received grants and have independently published books.

The Community Publishing Project is currently funded by Nasou Via Afrika, it was started with an initial donation over three years from Via Afrika and NB Publishers. It has also received funding from the MAPPP Seta and the Mpumalanga Provincial Library Service.

Colleen Higgs, who has managed this project since its inception says, “I am delighted that the Community Publishing Project has been recognized in this way. It has been my privilege to manage the project and to see each book take shape at its own pace. I have traveled to remote corners of South Africa and have met writers in all these places. The Community Publishing Project gives people a foot in the door of the big world of publishing. It demystifies publishing and the book world for grantees and has created wonderful opportunities for many of the people who have participated in the project."

For more information go to www.bdf.org.za and www.nlsa.ac.za

The annual Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Awards are presented by Nedbank and celebrate andrecognise outstanding individuals, organisations or agencies that have played an integral role in the development and promotion of arts, culture and creativity in South Africa. TheACT Awards 2007 is supported by CLASSICfeel Magazine, the Cape Town radio partner is Fine Music Radio 101.3 and the Gauteng radio partner is 102.7 Classic fM.

According to Ismail Mahomed, convenor of the 2007 Awards adjudication panel, “the finalists for 2007 reflect the extremely high calibre of people who champion the advancement of the arts. These finalists stand high amongst a broad range of individuals and organizations nominated by the public. Short-listing these finalists from amongst a group of people who each deserve an accolade for their commitment to the advancement of the arts was no easy task.”

For more information - www.act.org.za