Independent publishing house closes doors after 25 years

Weaver Press, one of the biggest independent publishing houses in Zimbabwe which has also had a footprint in the academic sector, is winding up operations after 25 years – a development that is a setback for the industry.

A publisher of both fiction and non-fiction books, Weaver Press has published some of Zimbabwe’s most notable academic works such as Beyond the Enclave: Towards a pro-poor and inclusive development strategy for Zimbabwe, a 2011 book on the economy edited by Godfrey Kanyenze, Timothy Kondo, Prosper Chitambara and Jos Martens, that explains Zimbabwe’s prolonged economic crisis.

Irene Staunton and Murray McCartney, founders of Weaver Press, announced its impending closure at the publishing house’s 25-year anniversary celebrations in December 2023.

Time for ‘new ideas’

Speaking to University World News, one of the founders, Irene Staunton, said there were many reasons why the publisher was closing, or, as she preferred to call it, “going dormant”.

“I have been in the publishing sector for almost 40 years,” said Staunton. “We, Murray McCartney and I, are not getting any younger. It is time for fresh energy … new ideas”. The husband and wife duo founded Weaver Press in 1998.

Said Staunton: “The publishing scene has changed a great deal over the past two decades, and one could argue that a small independent publisher has become something of an anomaly at a time when everyone who wants to write can self-publish and social media plays such a significant role in what people value and how they spend their time.”

Over the years, Weaver Press received minimal orders from universities in Zimbabwe even though its books were on the reading lists of many students, Staunton bemoaned. She said book purchases, save for the buying of essential textbooks needed to pass exams, were not really a priority in a country where many people struggle to survive.

Asked what it was like publishing books critical of the government in an authoritarian state, and whether she had not been afraid of government reprisals, Staunton said she was not governed by fear. “We are all citizens of a country that we love and in which we believe,” she said, adding, “and so I ask, do we want to be governed by fear?

“Can a government that rules by fear survive and flourish? We need to encourage debate based on fact, and we need to be brave enough to accept our own histories even when they are unpalatable. They will not disappear through denial. Indeed, when crushed, they will fester. And, sometimes, wounds that fester do not heal.”

Academic publishing

Weaver Press did not start out as a publisher also focusing on academic work, Staunton noted. She said the publisher initially focused on fiction, but soon discovered that Zimbabwe had academics who wanted their work published locally.

There were also academics working outside the country, Staunton said, who wanted to ensure that research about Zimbabwe was available in the country.

“Every publisher develops an identity depending on their values and principles and these, together with financial constraints, will determine how they develop their lists.

“In terms of academic publishing, Weaver Press believes in freedom of speech, and our publishing focus has tended to be on (social) history (including memoirs), politics, law, gender and environment.”

Over the years, Weaver Press has played a role in Zimbabwe’s academic sector. This is according to Professor Brian Raftopoulos, who has had some work published by Weaver Press. “In my view,” said Raftopoulos, “Weaver Press has been the most significant independent publisher in the post-independence period.

“It has produced a wave of cross-disciplinary academic works, from scholars both inside and outside of Zimbabwe that have been central to the growth of critical thinking and discussion on Zimbabwe.”

Dr Godfrey Kanyenze, a prominent Zimbabwean economist and one of the authors of Beyond the Enclave, echoed Raftopoulos’ sentiments. He said: “Weaver Press has made a huge contribution to knowledge generation and its dissemination, distinguishing itself through its meticulous and diligent approach and commitment to excellence.”

A platform for freedom

“Weaver Press has provided a consistent space for engendering academic freedom in a context of decreasing democratic space,” said Raftopoulos. “It has allowed critical academics, even in small ways, to maintain a focus on the challenges of post-colonial politics in Zimbabwe.”

At the height of the late former president Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian rule, Weaver Press published books that were highly critical of the government, such as the 2011 work, When a State Turns on its Citizens: Institutionalised violence and political culture by Lloyd Sachikonye.

Raftopoulos applauded Weaver Press for its “bravery” in publishing books that were critical of the authoritarian government. However, he noted that the state in Zimbabwe has been “less concerned about academic criticism than more overt displays of public dissent”.

Kanyenze said Weaver Press was the “publisher of choice” for many authors. “Weaver Press,” he said, “has allowed the various authors it has published over the years to express themselves freely and objectively in the true spirit of academic freedom. In doing so, it has distinguished itself.”

Raftopoulos expressed doubt about the ability of other publishers in Zimbabwe to take on the role played by Weaver Press over the years. “Unfortunately, there don’t appear to be any publishing houses currently operating in Zimbabwe that can fill the role played by Weaver Press,” he said.

But Kanyenze disagrees. He believes there are still other publishing houses that will continue a tradition of promoting academic freedom such as SAPES (Southern Africa Political Economy Series) Trust.