Congress Countdown: Prix Voltaire Ceremony to Cap Strong Freedom to Publish Programme

The 34th International Publishers Congress will host the announcement of the 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire laureate alongside other awards and a strong set of freedom to publish sessions.

2024 IPA Prix Voltaire

The Prix Voltaire shortlist was announced at the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) in Lillehammer, Norway in May 2024.

1. Osman Kavala, Turkey
2. Dušan Gojkov, Balkan Literary Herald, Serbia
3. Aslambek Ezhaev, Ummah Publishing, Russia
4. Andrej Januskevic, Andrej Januskevic Publishing, Belarus
5. Samir Mansour, Samir Mansour Bookshop for Printing and Publishing, Palestine

This year's Prix Voltaire shortlist all come from regions affected by conflict and embody publishers' efforts to promote books and the dissemination of information to prevent conflict and foster peace, even while facing extreme dangers themselves. Below is a brief reminder of this year's shortlist of brave publishers who we will celebrate in Guadalajara.

Osman Kavala from Turkey advocates for the free access to information and promotes peace through his efforts to facilitate cultural exchange, human rights, and democratic values, while also advocating for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.

Andrej Januskevic of the Januskevic Publishing House in Belarus has advocated for Belarusian publishing and democracy in the face of extreme government repression and censorship from the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. Forced to flee to Poland after arbitrary detentions and persecution, Mr. Januskevic has promised to continue publishing, opening a bookstore in Warsaw.

Dušan Gojkov, of the Balkan Literary Herald from Serbia, has faced a similar environment in a post-conflict context. Political leaders' ongoing stigmatization of independent voices and the state's lack of action to prevent or penalize such behaviors have created a climate of fear, anxiety, and insecurity. Mr. Gojkov works to limit censorship, violence, and death threats towards writers and academics while also working to mitigate rising tensions in the delicate environment of the post-conflict Balkans.

Aslambek Ezhaev, of Ummah Publishing from Russia, has himself worked to amplify the voices of marginalized or oppressed groups, in a tenuous post-conflict environment. His efforts to protect the existence of culturally significant Russian Islamic literature promotes diversity in the Russian literary space, and inspires a more tolerant society, even after extreme conflict such as the Russian-Chechen War.

First destroyed by Israeli missile strikes in 2021, the Samir Mansour Bookshop for Printing and Publishing has been a critical part of the local community in Gaza, publishing the works of Palestinian authors and housing thousands of books in various languages. After being rebuilt through community efforts, the bookshop has once again been victim to Israeli airstrikes with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October last year. Since then, the bookshop has continued its efforts to bring books to Palestinian youth, visiting evacuation centers and providing books and gift packages to displaced children who have faced devastating loss throughout the war.

Freedom to Publish discussions

The Freedom to Publish Sessions at the Congress are below (online here) and there will also be a A comprehensive overview of the global landscape of democracy by Staffan Lindberg of the V-Dem Institute:

Reading and reading promotion: Cornerstones of Democratic Society

Moderator: Porter Anderson, Publishing Perspectives (USA)

Speakers:

• Miha Kovac (Slovenia)
• Margarita Cuéllar, CERLALC (Colombia)
• Kristenn Einarsson, WEXFO, (Norway)

From Liberté to Libertad: Freedom to Publish in the Americas

Moderator: Ana Maria Cabanellas (GIE,Argentina)

Speakers:

• Staffan Lindberg, V-Dem Institute (Sweden)
• José Ignacio Echeverria, GIE (Mexico)
• Simon de Jocas, Les 400 Coups (Canada)

School books behind bars? Education and the Freedom to Publish

Moderator: Stephan de Valk, MEVW (Netherlands)

Speakers:

• Patricia Lopez, Global Macmillan Education Group (Mexico)
• Terry Hart, AAP (USA)
• Artur Dyra, Learnetic (Poland)

How to promote the trinity of freedoms: Expression, Publishing, and Reading

Moderator : Juergen Boos, Frankfurter Buchmesse (Germany)

Speakers:

• Jennifer Clement, Past-President, PEN International (Mexico)
• Jonathan Hernandez Perez, IFLA (Mexico)
• Sherif Bakr, Al Arabi (Egypt)