Macmillan Education Eswatini joined the international community in the commemoration of the World Book and Copyright Day which is celebrated during the month of April every year. World Book and Copyright Day celebrations take place all over the world to recognise the mystic power of books - a link between the past and the future; a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this day UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries - reserve a moment to come together and share ideas on issues around book publishing, copyrights and intellectual property.
As publishers we observed the World Book and Copyright Day on the 27th April 2022 at S&B Restaurant, Matsapha. We hosted more than100 people representing different fraternities. Amongst these were: members of the inspectorate, the board responsible for the functionality of the Copyright Act, the Copyright Society, Registrar of Intellectual Property, authors, journalists, book sellers and many others. "Intellectual Property" is something that all people of Eswatini should be aware of in order for them to know their rights as producers and consumers of art. The keynote speaker, Dr Dludlu, the registrar of Intellectual Property (IP) Eswatini presented on issues of trademarks and patent laws. The managing director for Macmillan Education Eswatini, Mr Bongani Motsa, also emphasised the importance of understanding and observing copyright laws even for us as a publishing house. This event was a great success, and authors were empowered regarding their rights and responsibilities in copyright and intellectual property matters.
Celebrating your product creates some sense of pride. At Macmillan we strive to be the best providers of quality educational material, thus our pride emanates from our perpetual efforts. Hosting the World Book and Copyright Day further provided us with extensive marketing avenues. The event also afforded our marketing team an opportunity to provide branding and set up displays for our books so as to gain visibility and mileage. Also, this was a great opportunity for us to meet all of our stakeholders in the book industry under one roof. Such an infrequent opportunity aids us in bracing the relations we have with our partners and the end users of our products.