Xmas Book Fair: Where Storytellers, Writers, Poets, Venders and Marketers Gather to Unlock the Market Doors

Organized annually by Ladu Poetry House, the Christmas book fair is a wonderful way to close the year for Uganda’s Creative artists. In its second edition, with the first having been 2021, the Fair that was this year themed; “Free Market for Books, Art and Craft` is intended to celebrate writers, authors, poets, dancers, and many more categories.

It’s an open and a free space for showcasing creative works like books, poetry, plays and at the same time, opening market doors as writers, poets, storytellers, book venders, as marketers meet, greet and share knowledge. This year, the Fair was hosted at the luxurious Naguru Forest Cottages on Saturday 3^rdDecember.

Here, hundreds of the book fraternity and the general public met to share how best they can add value to the creative arts industry that has not been given enough space by the central government. Mark Gordon Mugasha, one of Uganda’s dedicated Spoken Word Poet, Creative Arts Producer, and Events Curator told this website the reality and the importance of the book fair.

He was the host and creative talk moderator for the Christmas Book fair 2022. “This is an opportunity for selling out the industry of creative arts. It’s at the same time a space where we come, interact as artists from the different walks of life. Here, you meet the writers, authors, poets, dancers, and many more artists sharing knowledge because we all have the same motivation.”

Mark noted how the creative works industry suffered during the Covid pandemic that ensued as abyss on almost all the economic and social sector the world over. For purposes of marketing the creative arts` industry, an A-list of panelists was assembled to talk about quality, value for money, content and marketing of the creative arts world.

The panelists

Zoey the Storyteller aka Kayendeke Zoey Patricia is a Ugandan folklore storyteller and poet who uses voice, movement, music, and theatre to tell traditional and present stories, painting pictures through words with a vision to preserve cultural heritage. She discussed the diversity of culture and the need to preserve cultural heritage.

Kahill Patricia, a skilled digital marketer with a bias in Content Marketing is a Content Marketing Coach, Trainer, and Content Creator. She was on the panel speaking about marketing for books. Phillip Matogo is a published author and a political columnist for The Sunday Monitor and, several other newspapers. He is also a book reviewer for several media outlets.

For him, Matogo preaches value addition and production of quality work when he questions “Why buy trash.”? He says the different creators of work should endeavor to put out work that is worth the price for the consumers who are the readers and the lovers of art and craft. Comedians Hilary Okello and Timothy J. Nyanzi were at the fair to avoid boredom as they created some giggles performing stand-up comedy. Nyanzi has crafted a niche for himself because of his stand-and-deliver style of one-line, dead pan, and intellectual jokes.

The Fair that also featured sweet melodies and sounds of music from the different local arts in the background, started at 10am, running the entire day’s stretch and climaxed with an after party at 7pm. The one-day Book Fair was organized in partnership with Goethe Zentrum Kampala, a German Cultural Centre in Uganda promoting art and culture, and offering language courses.

Author Profile

Joan Atuhwera: Joan Atuhwera is a Business Administration Graduate, a Human Rights activist and writer with over five years’ experience in pursuing justice for others via her keyboard. She can also be reached via email: [email protected] or WhatsApp +256774334595