London Book Fair Nigerian Cookbooks and other matters

London Bookfair,Cookbooks and other matters by Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth,Waltham Forest,.London,England

I attended the London Book Fair which opened from April 20 to 22 , 2009 particularly to

see what the cook book publishing industry looked like and possible lessons for Nigeria..Of course several other aspects of the Fair caught my attention.

At the London Book fair I met Spain based Pilar Gutierrez,,Director, World Cookbook Awards ..Gutierrez was quite excited at the propect of having a Nigeria cookbook.Having never come across a Nigerian Cookbook she expressed her desire to enter such books for The World Cookbook Awards.

According to the Gourmand Year Book 2008,which I got from Gutierrez,,the world Cookbook Awards are in 39 categories which include, First Publication,Desert,Single Subject,Health and Nutrition,Children and Family,Vegetarian,innovation,Local,Foreign,Television Celebrity.Woman Chef,Photography,illustration,Design,Bread,Chocolate etc

I met Richard Howells of the Harvard University press. He describes himself as a cook book collector.He would love have to have Nigerian Cook Books.There are hundreds of thousands like him around the world

My search on the web revealed only three Nigerian Cook books The first is titled NIgerian Cookbook by H .Anthonio and M Isoun,(1982,Macmillan),another is Black Eyed Bean Recipes by Grace Kelly(2004,Amazing Grace publication ) and lastly Contemporary Nigerian Cuisine by Funke koleosho( 2009, Jok Publishing) .Funke Koleosho has been featured on British Television and she talks about what constittes Nigerias National food. the Chinese Have Rice,the Italians, .Pasta and the British Potatoes.What is Nigerias National Food for instance as is to be served at the State Banquet in The Presidential Villa Abuja? Maybe our Food writers,Food scientists and Nigerian Chefs can help us with this.

This Ccookook industry not only helps to promote and preserve culture and wellness

but could have significant roles to play in the fight against poverty by driving demand on the global front for agricultural products from Nigeria.

.Organisations like the FAIR TRADE FOUNDATION have the Fair trade Cookbook and have specificaly asked for authentic Nigerian recipes making use of ingredients covered by the fair trade label. Amongst other issues Fair trade woks to ensure fair prices for farmers in the developing world and they parer with supermarkets in Europe,They Also try to ensure the developmnt of the local community harbouring the Farmers.

At the Bookfair Africa made a poor outing. i counted just over 10 blacks at the first day of the Book Fair and on the third Day,the final day there were more blacks around and even Nigerians but this time the overall attendance was very poor.This has been attribute to the Global ecoomic crisis.

From Ibadan, the Publishing Capital of Nigeria came Femi Anulopo of the Bookshop learning Solutions.He informs he has been in the Book trade for about two decades. I caught him in the midst of a discussion on electricity criisis in Nigeria.Interestingly he is an electrical engineer turned Bookseller. I think it is better to read a good book with Candle light than to sit infront of the Television described as the "Romantic Candle light' power by Electricity.Its right here in London we had Michael Faraday workig in a Book binders shop there he discovered an article on Electricity in an edition of the Encyclopedia. Brittainica From there Faraday as a Physicist and Chemist became known as the Father of electricity having discovered the principle of generating electricity on Octber 28 1831.. I hope mr Anulopo took a few volumes of the Encyclopedia Britaitnica back home.Of course i am aware of the fact that there are human factors responsible for the energy crisis. The solutions to these problems could also be found by reading and research.

At this fair,publishers from Africa ,19 of them, were represented by tthe Africa Book collective and Afican Authors were represented by African freedom Press basd in the United states.These two "Afrcan" outfits did not impress me as they paraded well known Nigerian Names.Names that have been on the publishing scene for, 20,30,40 years.Its a real challenge for those of my generation. I am 40 plus but i have read people in their 20s and 30s and Ifeel they have a lot to share with the rest of the world.

Lastly i read about a workshop on African Indigenous Knowledge and intellectual Property Rights: Implications for Nigerias development ,at the University of Ibadan in the Guardian Newspaper of Apri 22 2009.ideally many of the participant at that worshop should have been here in London for the bookfair unless of course "Ibadan" is trying to send a strong message to the organisers of the London Bookfair otherwise the days of the workshop(April20 to 24) should not have clashed with the days of the London Bookfair. I hope they wouls all make it to Franfurt in October for the worlds largest Bookfair.