Black British Book Festival: A Celebration of Black Literature and Cultural Permanence

Strategic Insights -

The Black British book festival (BBBF) has grown into a national institution, attracting thousands of attendees and some of the biggest names in publishing, since its founding by Selina Brown in 2021. Despite the challenges faced by Black authors in the publishing industry, the festival exists to provide a platform for Black literature and celebrate the joy of Black creativity. This year's main event at the Barbican in London will feature a 36-event program, including panel discussions with leading Black authors, workshops for aspiring writers, and talks on topics such as Malcolm X and reparations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BBBF has grown from a small, intimate gathering to a national institution, attracting thousands of attendees and significant figures in publishing.
  • The festival's founder, Selina Brown, was motivated by her frustration with being told that her book wouldn't sell because it featured a Black girl on the cover.
  • The festival's mission is to provide a platform for Black literature and celebrate the joy of Black creativity.
  • Despite a post-2020 boom in book sales by writers of color, the momentum didn't last, and leading Black literary figures say UK publishing is now less accessible to Black authors than before.
  • The festival is essential because it exists outside the publishing model and is set by Black people, rather than responding to other people's agendas.
  • The festival offers a counterweight to the rising political tension and cultural division in the UK, but its organizers are resistant to framing it as such.
  • The festival aims to build a Black British community of creatives and thinkers, echoing cultural renaissances past, and provide a space for Black people to assert their cultural permanence.

Statistics:

  • The UK saw a 56% rise in the sales of books by writers of color in the financial year to 2021.
  • Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, published in 2017, shot to the top of the UK nonfiction chart, making Eddo-Lodge the first Black British author to hold that position.
  • The literacy charity's report found a "catastrophic decline" in the number of children's books featuring Black main characters, down by more than a fifth between 2023 and 2024.
  • The festival has grown rapidly, with three major festivals across the UK, opening libraries, and launching a children's book festival headlined by Sir Lenny Henry.

Sources:

  • The Guardian
  • The Bookseller
  • Black British book festival