Govt orders crackdown on book piracy
DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has given public institutions two weeks to agree on concrete measures to combat book piracy and protect the intellectual property rights of writers and publishers, warning that it will not tolerate practices undermining the country’s book industry.
Deputy Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Hamis Mwinjuma issued the directive in Dar es Salaam on Monday during the official opening of the 33rd Tanzania International Book Fair, calling for urgent action to address challenges facing the publishing sector.
He said the growth of Kiswahili and the development of the book industry depended on genuine cooperation among stakeholders and the timely implementation of their proposals rather than further delays.
Addressing stakeholders from the media, education and publishing sectors, Mr Mwinjuma identified piracy as a major obstacle to the industry’s growth, stressing the need for decisive legal action to protect writers’ work and the resources invested in producing literary works.
“Let us call all relevant parties, hold a meeting and set resolutions and implementation steps to begin immediately. I will lead the meeting myself. All the requests and views you have presented are fundamental issues whose implementation is overdue,” he said.
He directed that the meeting be held within two weeks, insisting that action on the concerns raised by stakeholders could no longer be postponed.
“We need to do it now; we should have done it yesterday or last week,” he said. On efforts to combat piracy, Mr Mwinjuma directed the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) to work with the Publishers Association of Tanzania (PATA) and submit reports detailing enforcement operations conducted and cases filed against individuals involved in the illegal reproduction and distribution of literary works.
“I am an author and I know the huge challenges they face in the fight against piracy. I instruct COSOTA to sit down with PATA and not just submit a plan, but a report on the operations you have conducted and the cases you have filed regarding piracy of writers’ works,” he said.
The deputy minister also called for reports on the implementation of previous government directives, saying he wanted a clear account of progress made and the status of each instruction.
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Beyond combating piracy, Mr Mwinjuma highlighted the role of books in preserving national history, promoting creativity and strengthening society’s understanding of its identity.
He said books should not be viewed merely as classroom learning materials but also as repositories of national records, links between generations and tools for developing critical thinking and creativity.
He added that a nation’s history could not be adequately preserved or passed on to future generations without written works, publications and strong institutions dedicated to safeguarding them.
Promoting a reading and writing culture was therefore essential to preserving Tanzania’s identity and strengthening the use of Kiswahili, he said.
Mr Mwinjuma reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with stakeholders to strengthen writing, publishing and book distribution, expand domestic and international markets and protect writers’ intellectual property rights.
He said these efforts were crucial to ensuring that the book industry contributed effectively to Tanzania’s economic, educational and cultural development.
