BOP Bologna Prize for Bakame Best Children’s Publisher of the year in Africa
Mission
Description
Bakame Editions is an independent, not-for-profit publishing house for children and young people.
Bakame Editions produces good and reasonably priced literature for children and young people in the national language of Kinyarwanda.
Bakame Editions is engaged in the promotion and encouragement of the reading culture in Rwanda.
Aims
- The creation and promotion of literature for children and young people in Rwanda based on their own culture
- The revival of oral literature, in particular the traditional oral literature in written form
- The promotion of the reading culture in Rwanda by the organization of reading events for children and young people, as well as seminars for educators
- The training of authors and illustrators in workshops and giving them the chance to be published
- Encouragement and maintenance of contacts with like-minded organizations
| 1995 | Foundation of the publishing house Bakame Editions |
| 1996 | Publication of the first four titles |
| 2001 | Honorary Mention of Bakame Editions at the BIB (Biennale Illustration Bratislava) |
| 2002 | Recognition of Bakame Editions by the Rwandan Government as a charitable organization (a.s.b.l.) |
| 2005 | Relocation into own building |
| 2005 | Received Bologna Ragazzi New Horizons Award for the book Ubucuti bw’imbeba n’inzovu |
| 2005 | Honoured with the Certificate of Merit for the Promotion of Culture by the Rwandan Ministry of Culture |
| 2006 | Rwanda became the 70th member of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) |
| 2008 | IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award |
BOP Prize
To mark the 50th anniversary Bologna Children’s Book Fair BolognaFiere and AIE, the Italian Publishers Association a new initiative to pay tribute to excellence in the world of children’s publishing: BOP - Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the year.
The aim is to highlight the editorial projects, professional skills and intellectual qualities of work produced by publishing houses all over the world.
Six prizes were awarded, one for each geographical area: Asia, Africa, Central-South America, Europe, North America, and Oceania.
The winner 2013 for Africa was: Editions Bakame, Kigali, Rwanda.
Congratulations!
