Organized since 1992 by the Pan -African Association of Writers (PAWA), the day highlights literary engineering on the continent. This is the 31st edition.
Men and women of local letters meet to take stock: deliberate on the difficulties encountered, moreover take stock of their activities and define common objectives. During the 2022 edition, the novelist Patrick Bonguila Mukinzitsi stressed the importance of this meeting. “Among the habits of an author is the desire to open up to the world, the desire to share his gaze on things and the way of doing them. International writer's day is synonymous with pilgrimage to the man of letters […]. ", She said.
The origin of this day dates back to November 1989. The PAWA was founded in Accra, Ghana. Thirty-six African countries sign the constitutional declaration leading to its creation! The organization is based on "African unity and the liberation of the Spirit". Then it defends the freedom of expression of the writers of the continent, but also their copyright.
The International Day of African Writers is decreed by the United Nations Organization for Education (UNESCO), in partnership with the African Union (AU).
Since then, many events have been organized around this date. For example, PAWA has set up an international conference on the future of African literature. Makéréré University in Kampala in Uganda welcomes it from November 22 to 24.
Each year, various organizations combine there to promote letters on the continent. This is the case of the Association of Senegalese writers (AES), as well as the Association of Women Writers of Uganda (Fermite) or even the Udeg.
Writers, ramparts against disinformation
A real memory passer, the writer is responsible for an important role. A novelist, biographer or author of short news, he often embodies the holder of a political and historical truth. “[…] Admittedly, he does not have the power to decide, but he can analyze, propose, influence and even build, thanks to his power to introduce into human consciences. », Specifies Rosny Le Sage Souaga, member of the Office Director of the Union of Gabonese Writers (Udeg), for Faapa .
S Elon the novelist Emmanuel Dongal A , writing is informing. This is what he defends during a conference on "Writers against censorship" in Brazzaville: "[In Africa], overall it can be said that the fate of writers of the 20th century . is much better than it was at the end of the 90s. Unlike journalists who still continue to be arrested, imprisoned or persecuted today, very few writers are currently in prison for their writings. »»
By his testimony on the situation on the spot, lived, romanticized or concrete, the writer fights against disinformation.
