Christian book publishing in the Third World: Some principles, criteria and proposals

The Christian Communication Directory Aifrica (Paderborn 1980) lists 147 Christian publishing houses in Africa south ofthe Sahara, ofwhich 108 are Protestant and only 33 Catholic (plus six ecumenical ventures). The statistics of the Directory confirm for Africa what is well known for most parts ofthe Third World: The Catholic Church has given book publishing a much lower priority than has been the case with the Protestant churches. In many countdes of Africa and Asia, Catholic book publishing hardly exists. Zusammenfassung Von den 147 christlichen Verlagshausern Afrikas sudlich der Sahara, die im "Christian Communication Directory Africa" (Paderborn 1980) aufgefuhrt werden, sind 108 evangelisch und nur 33 katholisch. Dies bestatigt auch fur Afrika wie allgemein in der Dritten Welt: das die katholische Kirche offensichtlich der Verlagsarbeit weniger Gewicht beigemessen hat als die protestantischen Kirchen. Dafur gibt es wenigstens vier Grunde: (...)

The bulk of Catholic publishing was the production of the churches' "programme material", i.e. Bibles, prayer and hymn books, catechisms, etc. It is through these books that the majority of adult Christians were first exposed to script and print. They were used in groups (worship and religious teaching) and they thus blended easily into the oral cultures of black Africa. These books were not aimed at the reading individual but at the participating community. Although such first contacts with the book as an object were culturally attuned and compatible to oral societies, nevertheless there was the disadvantage that in the minds of many the book's "utility" was restricted to worship and learning 3 • Nobody denies the importance and indeed the need for the Bible and books such as catechisms, manuals of religious instruction, prayer and hymn books, etc. But it is regrettable that hardly anything eise was available to the people. There were exceptions to this (especially in Zaire and Zimbabwe), and where the church had its own printing presses some books of a general nature, or religious books, would occasionally be published. This happened when a missionary had written a manuscript or translated a book from a European language andhad found the money to have it printed. Sales were handled by the author or by the "procures" of a diocese or religious order. The result of this was that the very concept of publishing remained unknown. It was book printing rather than publishing.

What is Christian book publishing?
Publishing means to "make public" or to "send forth" among the people the words and pictures which creative or investigative minds have produced, that editors have worked over, that printers have reproduced. It is a formidable succession of activities, none of which, by itself, can be called publishing. It is only when a manuscript has been transformed into a book and distributed and sold, that the process of publishing is complete. Publishing is the whole intellectual and business procedure of selecting and arranging to make a book, and of promoting its ultimate use.
The book, although the product ofthe manufacturing industry, is not a "consumer good" but an intellectual artifact. Most books are read only once and then kept or passed on to others; a few books become "household articles" and are used frequently. Each product ofthe publishing industry is different from every other (and this makes a book an artifact), because each book is unique, rendering a unique service to the reader. Therefore each book contains a risk factor: for the customer to buy it, for the retailer to stock it, or for the publisher to invest in it. This makes publishing complex and complicated.
On the other hand, books arenot as perishable as many other products; they have a much Ionger life-time for sale than, for instance, periodicals; but the return from the sale of books is normally slow and therefore much capital is needed for book publishing.
Christian publishing can be seen as an extension ofthe central mystery of our faith, the Incarnation. W ords, which are an actualisation of the W ords of God, or a preparation for them, or a concrete application ofthem, are embodied in print. Christian publishing is, furthermore, an act ofChristian witness which is (a) public, because publishing means sending forth words to the public at large; (b) Iasting, at least to a certain extent, because books outlive men; and (c) a witness which comprises total Christian living, i.e. the whole man with all his needs.
There have been cases in history "when books have replaced missionaries"4 but these were rare and limited to certain circumstances (e.g. when no Christian missionaries were allowed to enter a country). The essence of Christian publishing, however, is not merely "preaching through a book" but responding to the message and thus witnessing the faith in the concrete life environment of a community.
At the end of his survey on the Christian publicity media in Africa (Christliche Publizistik in Afrika), Franz-Josef Eilers comes to the following conclusion concerning the role of books: "On the one hand, the Iiterature of a people provides expression for their innermost feeling, thinking and searching; on the other hand, Iiterature has a moulding power of its own which can influence generations to come. This is true for Iiterature in general, but may be of particular relevance to the Iiterature ofthe peoples of Africa. Books written by Africans are bound to make a much greater impact on African readers and are from the point of view of the publicity media of greatest importance for Christianity. The point hereisthat African Iiterature is no Ionger in the service ofthe direct proclamation ofthe Gospel, but it is an echo of Christi an message by its receivers. In their Iiterature we therefore have to a certain extent a mirrar of Christianity from the hearts and minds of the 'recipients' of the Gospel -something which, from the point ofview of functional publicistics, is sadly lacking in the other media. Our data of (the other) publicity media showed that they were an attempt to 'establish and promote' Christiani ty rather than reflect it in the African environment." These words are as true today as they were when first published in 1964 5 • Culturalleadership of the church Leadership in most countfies of the South has, to a large extent, been identified with politicalleadership. This is understandable because ofthe confrontation with the colonial regimes, the struggle for independence, the political fever of the first years of sovereign nationhood, etc. N ow the emphasis has begun to shift. Social and cultural leadership are now emerging.
It has often been said that Third W orld societies werein a cultural crisis andin desperate need of defining and refinding their cultural identities. The crisis is most acute in black Africa, because African culture, language, religion and ethnicity or race have been under attack, or have been treated with contempt, by members of other cultural groups. This is the lingering trauma ofthe colonial era, with its long history of conquest, slavery, discrimination and large scale destruction of traditional cultures. But cultural identity is also threatened indirectly by the process of modernisation, the introduction of Western technology and the rapid social changes which follow. In some African countries, especially in fraucophone Africa, political and cultural Ieaders have been looking to the church for help in their search for identity. They are aware of the fact that Third W orld cultural identity is bound up with religion. Religious values have, to a large extent, made Third W orld persans and their societies what they are. Speaking about Africa, the Ghanaian scholar May Assimeng says that religionwas the sine qua non for the rediscovery, assertion and development of African selfhood, African identity and a new African culture. Where religion is missing, the African loses his sense of orientation, the group disintegrates, and the nation might develop a substitute in the cult of the nationalleader or the Party.
The religious/culturalleadership ofthe Third World will, however, only be acceptable if Christianity can fully meet the spiritual needs enshrined in traditional religions. "(African) religion was, in the first place, power, centre and meaning oflife. We (Christians), however, have been put into a straitjacket of do's and don'ts", says the Zairian priest Kalenga Matembele. He adds, ''Now that much of Africa has become Christian, Christianity must become African." 6 Christian books could play an important role in the Third World's search for identity. And perhaps the most adequate type ofbook in the promotion ofthis process is novels and stories rather than academic treatises. Yet Iiterature deserving of this name is still the most neglected genre in Christian publishing.

Riflection and critical awareness
The book's privileged role in Christian communication is not merely due to the Bible and the centuries old tradition of religious writing. Books are equally important for the fastering of reflection, critical awareness and for total human development. One ofthe great hopes for Christianity has been the development of "basic communities in the church" 7 • Basic Christian communities are in line with the best tradition of community life and communal values ofThird World societies. It would be naive, however, to idealise communal values at the expense ofthe individual's need to reflect and think critically. Third World Christians and Third World societies need both communal values and critical awareness. The book can be an instrument for such reflection because it creates a sense of distance between the surrounding world and the reading person. The book allows the reader to go over the content time and again, at his or her own pace and disposition. It allows the digestion of ideas and the critical assimilation of content more easily than any other media.
But the process of reflection and critical awareness through the book presupposes authors who themselves are reflective and thoughtful. So far the spiritual guides of Africa, for instance, have been a handful of politicians and black authors. The collected speeches ofPresident Nyerere and Prime Minister Mugabe, and the writings of President Kaunda of Zambia and President Banana of Zimbabwe have fulfilled much of the thought provoking function of the book. Critical awareness has also been fastered by some ofthe South's best novelists. In comparison with these, the church's own spiritual and intellectual guides have been quite ineffective. Hereisa field wide open to the church. The Third W orld's Christian prophets and mystics are still in hiding, i.e. restricted to their local communities. Publishers will have to make them public. And publishing includes the cultivation of authorship.

Literacy, Iiterature and human development
One point that has clearly emerged from the development debate of the last two decades is that development is much more than an increase in the GNP. It is an integrated process of economic, social, political, cultural and religious development working in unison. Development is not merely freedom from hunger, disease and oppression. It is the opportunity to make one's own choices and to set one's own priorities. But this presupposes communication.
There is a general principle of relationship between socioeconomic development and literacy, and the literate environment. From all we know about the factors affecting development, it is evident that literacy, and more particularly a literate environment, play major roles in bolstering and maintaining socio-economic development. W e are facing the awesome, but challenging, truth that no society can, in this time and age, make any substantial and long-term progress in the totality of its socio-economic, cultural and political development unless a significant part of society has acquired reading and writing skills and established a literate environment in which the written and printed words become part ofthe life ofthe society. The same, I believe, applies to the church community.
In view ofthis, the church had better revise her communication policy and strategy. If she is to be faithful to her missionary calling, the church can no Ionger Iimit book production to her own members, but must provide a genuine service to the community at large. Such a service -so crucial at this point in Third W orld history -will have to include the systematic promotion of literacy, the provision of follow-up material, the development of children's books, the establishment of small community libraries, book kiosks, and wherever possible book clubs. To pursue such activities the church will need tools. The most important ofthese wiUbe a real book publishing house.

Developing a book publishing programme
Publishers do not wait for manuscripts to arrive. They have a "feeling" for topics which are of interest to the people, and they commission books. They are good listeners. They know what people talk about. In other words, they are people orientated rather than message orientated, as is the case with most Christian publishers in the South. Publishers also have to plan years ahead oftime and anticipate future events and developments. Y ears may elapse from the time a book is conceived until it is ready for sale.
There are three types ofbook for which there is usually an immediate need in societies ofthe South: the "how-to-do" book, the counselling book, and books offiction and poetry. The "how-to-do" book responds to the people's natural curiosity and their wish to develop practical skills. Many people in Third W orld countries s~ek explanations and guidance to cope with the world that now surrounds them. They want to know more about the diesei engine, money, new eures for illnesses, modern dress, raising pigs, planting cotton, writing letters, citizens' rights -the Iist is endless.
Counselling books are more than moralistic treatises and sermons in print. They are books that explain and take seriously the myriad problems that have arisen in the wake of rapid social change. Many parents in the Third World no Ionger understand what is happening to their children. Why don't they want pre-arranged marriages? Why should girls pursue higher education? Why do sons invest their money in savings accounts rather than in a herd of cattle? Why is alcoholism on the increase? Why do peasants grow poorer while the elite amass so much wealth? The modern world is equally bewildering for the young generation. Their parents and families can no Ionger advise them 8 • The third and perhaps most important category ofbooks is the novel, short stories, anthologies of poetry: in short, the "narrative" and the "song". The story and the song, the oldest and still most effective means of structured communication, have been the vehicles for teaching and entertainment in the past. The story and the poem appearing in print will have tobe differently constructed than when they were part of a people's oral literature. But such new literary genres can be developed quite easily. All societies ofthe South have an abundance oftalent in this respect. It seems incredible that the majority of Christian publishers have not yet discovered them. And stories have the advantage that they can be read aloud, recorded on cassettes, broadcasted over the radio, made into plays and even used for films and television.
Finally, it is often forgotten that the book is notjust for text but also for pictures. Drawings have been found to be culturally more congruous and more effective than photographs. And no Christian publisher should think that the cartoon-strip is below his or her dignity. They are the Third World's most popular books.

Financial se!f-reliance and the role of the printing press
Financial self-reliance is difficult to achieve in any media in the South, but especially in broadcasting and newspaper work. In book publishing, however, it is within reach. Creative and weil managed Christian publishing houses in Africa and Asia can attain self-reliance if they have their "bread and butter" line -namely, catechisms, hymn and prayer books and other steady sellers from which they can make a profit. Tobe profitable they may also need their own retail outlets, bookshops, book-stalls and mail order marketing.
Another source of direct or indirect income can be a printing press. Printing for its own sake and as an end in itselfis none ofthe church's business. The maintenance and development of church-owned printing presses only makes sense if they serve the publishing activities ofthe church, i.e. printing must be seen as an ancillary activity to publishing, as a service function within the framework ofthe ministry ofthe written word.
This does not mean, however, that church-owned printing presses should work exclusively for Christian publishing houses. A delicate balance has to be established between "commercial" and "non-commercial" printing. All those printing jobs which arenot in the direct service ofthe written word ( e.g. letterheads, invoice books, etc.) even when ordered by church institutions, should be charged a full or semi-commercial rate. From the pro fit made from job printing, printshops would be in a position to charge a reduced (non-commercial) rate for jobs which are directly connected with the ministry of the printed word. In this sense, churchowned print-ing presses should be semi-commercial enterprises, making profit from jobhing and thus being able to subsidise Christian publishing.
It is tobe regretted that some church-owned printing presses have been reduced to the status of mere industrial enterprises. Their main interest is to make as much money as possible to contribute to the generat running cost of a diocese or of an ecclesiastical institution. Capital for the establishment, modernisation or enlargement of church-owned printing presses should be made available only on condition that all profits from printing should be ploughed back into Christian publishing.
Some support agencies have bad the policy of subsidising individual titles, and the reasons given for this are normally two: tobring down the retail price of a book so that the "poor people" can buy it, and to allow for the printing of a "special book" for which the market is small. There may be justification for both these reasons, but they must be treated as exceptions. Saleability is one of the main criteria of book publishing. If the market for a book is so small that the normal rules of publishing do not apply, the title just should not be printed unless the most extraordinary circumstances prevail. The poverty argument is similar to that of food aid: it may defeat its purpose and become counterproductive if such aid is extended regularly and as a matter of course. Book development, like agriculture, needs incentives of a different kind.

Conclusion
In recent years the international Catholic media Organisations Unda (radio), OCIC (film and audiovisuals), and UCIP (press) have made great strides in their activities in the Third W orld. In many countries they have developed regional organisations for which they have provided training and professional consultancies. They have also promoted a general awareness among church Ieaders for their respective media. No such international Catholic organisation exists in the field of book publishing. On the other hand, it is significant that the Protestant churches have had their Agency for Christian Literature Development (ACLD) for a long time, merging in 1975 with the World Association for Christian Communication. The book publishing section ofW ACC (with its headquarters in London) not only has a highly professional staffbut also an annual programme budget ofUSS 1.2 million. It provides its services to both Protestant and Catholic publishing houses or wouldbe publishing houses throughout the Third W orld.
It would be meaningless to set up an international Catholic organisation for book publishers if the rationale was merely to provide a counterpart to Unda, OCIC, UCIP or the W ACC. What is needed is a start at the grassroots, namely in the departments for social communication of the national Bishops' Conferences. Furthermore, Christian book development must develop what already exists -the numerous Catholic printing presses which print but do not publish books. And finally, yet most importantly, church Ieaders and Catholic funding agencies must become aware ofthe crucial role the book can play in the development ofthe Third W orld church and Third W orld societies in general.