By Sifelani Tsiko
Harare,Zimbabwe (July 22 2006)

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair will be held from August 1-5 under the general theme: "Africa -The Cradle of Conversation" at the Harare Gardens in the capital.

A number of sessions will be held under which writers, publishers, academics, readers and artists will discuss various topics related to this year's theme.

The first session would focus on 'Writing in Local languages and it would be spearheaded by Zimbabwe's renowned author and playright Aaron Chiundura-Moyo.

"Thee has been general concern over the years that the first words every person learns are from their mother and yet later in the learning process there is an over-emphasis on other languages.

"It is not clear how far this apparent shift from the indigenous languages affects the holistic development of the African child acadmically, culturally, etc," a spokesman for the ZIBF said.

"ZIBF therefore wishes to accord an opportunity to scholars, parents, educationists, psychologists, authors and policy makers to discuss and evaluate the impact and contribution of the writing in local languages on overall national development."

The other session will examine the topic: "The Reading Culture. What is it? How does it contribute to personal and professional development? Does investment in writing and publishing achieve the desired effect if books are left to collect dust on the shelves?

University of Zimbabwe academic Dr Zifikile Mguni-Gambahaya will lead this session.
The other session will highlight the importance of intellectual property in nation building, patriotism and self determination.

"The current legal intellectual property regime does recognise the importance of harvesting the products of the mind for economic development and self-actualisation.

"But there are still a number of challenges not only in the recognition of the historical contribution of indigenous knowledge systems in the development of civilisation and culture on the African continent but also in the legal framework under which they operate," said the ZIBF spokesman.

Enna Gudlanga of the Zimbabwe Open University will attempt to unravel some of th misconceptions about this.
Dr Buhle Mbambo, the chief librarian at the University of Zimbabwe  will interrogate the debate on Free Access to Information versus Free Information.

She will argue the case for the liberalisation of some restrictions imposed on users of information by copyright laws.
Prof George Kahari, an academic, curator, diplomat and writer will deliver the keynote address focusing on the 'African Novel.'

Live perfomances, poetry, traditional dance music and othe theatrical performances will also add colour to this annual event.