Africa World Press

Africa World Press (AWP) is an independent publishing company established in 1983 by Kassahun Checole in Trenton, New Jersey. The company was created to address what Checole regarded as a major gap in the American publishing and distribution system: a shortage of accessible, serious books dealing with African and African American history, culture, politics, and social life. Its publishing program has included scholarly works, political and cultural studies, literary fiction, poetry, and other books concerning Africa and people of African descent. Checole, who grew up in Eritrea, studied at Haile Selassie University before moving to the United States in 1971 to continue his education at the State University of New York at Binghamton. His academic background included political science, African American studies, and sociology, and he later taught sociology and African studies at Rutgers University and at other institutions. His experience as a teacher exposed him to the limited availability of relevant course materials and to the difficulties faced by authors and readers seeking works centered on African and African-diaspora perspectives. AWP began on a small scale, with Checole producing books from his home. Early publications included Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Barrel of a Pen," Sonia Sanchez's "Under a Soprano Sky," and Molefi Kete Asante's "Afrocentricity." The company soon encountered a second problem beyond publication: conventional distribution channels were reluctant to carry and actively promote books by Black authors and books focused on Africa. In response, Checole expanded the business beyond publishing and developed a distribution operation for books from other Black publishers in the United States and internationally. In 1985, Checole established The Red Sea Press as a sister imprint and distribution operation. The Red Sea Press concentrated particularly on the Horn of Africa while also distributing books published by Africa World Press and other publishers. The two names have consequently functioned as closely connected publishing and distribution brands, with Checole serving as president and publisher of both organizations. Their author and editorial networks have included writers and scholars such as Bereket Habte Selassie and Basil Davidson, alongside numerous authors working in African studies, African history, political thought, literature, and diaspora studies. The combined AWP and Red Sea Press program is oriented toward academic, library, specialist, and international markets rather than mass-market commercial publishing. Its catalog covers the history, cultures, political systems, and intellectual traditions of Africa and the African diaspora, while also making room for fiction and other literary forms. Reference material describes the combined operation as producing approximately 100 titles annually, although no independently verified current output figure is provided here. The company remains notable for combining culturally focused publishing with its own distribution activity, helping circulate African and African-diaspora scholarship and literature that might otherwise have struggled to reach readers.

Africa World Press was founded in 1983 in Trenton, New Jersey, by Kassahun Checole, an Eritrean-born academic whose teaching and research interests included African studies, African American studies, sociology, and Pan-African movements. Checole's experience in higher education convinced him that students, scholars, and general readers lacked sufficient access to books treating African and African-diaspora subjects from appropriate historical and cultural perspectives. He also observed that existing books were often difficult to obtain because mainstream distribution companies gave limited attention to Black-focused publishing. The initial operation was small and home-based. Among its early books were Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Barrel of a Pen," Sonia Sanchez's "Under a Soprano Sky," and Molefi Kete Asante's "Afrocentricity." These publications established a catalog that connected literary work with debates over African history, identity, culture, and political thought. Rather than limiting the company to a narrow academic niche, Checole sought to build a broad publishing program capable of reaching readers across the United States, Africa, and the wider African diaspora. Distribution quickly became central to the company's development. Checole found that sympathetic conventional distributors were generally unwilling to carry or promote Black books at a significant scale. In 1985, he responded by establishing The Red Sea Press as a sister imprint and distribution operation. The Red Sea Press emphasized the Horn of Africa while also distributing Africa World Press titles and books from other Black publishers. This model allowed Checole's businesses to function not only as publishers but also as intermediaries connecting specialist authors and independent presses with libraries, universities, international booksellers, and diaspora communities. The combined publishing program has included works by authors such as Bereket Habte Selassie and Basil Davidson, among many others. Its subject range encompasses African history, politics, cultures, literature, education, and the experiences of African-descended peoples. Although scholarship and library-oriented titles form an important part of the catalog, the program also includes fiction and other literary writing. This breadth reflects Checole's stated ambition to reach a wide spectrum of readers rather than serve only a single academic discipline or national market. Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press have continued to operate as closely related brands under Checole's leadership. Their principal audience includes academic institutions, libraries, researchers, students, specialist booksellers, and international readers. Reference material characterizes the combined operation as producing roughly 100 titles per year, though a current independently verified production figure is not available. The businesses' historical importance lies in their dual role: they preserve and publish scholarship and literature centered on Africa and the diaspora, while also addressing the structural distribution problems that have historically limited the reach of Black and African-focused books.

1. 2019Publisher discusses independent Black-book distribution

   A published interview with Checole describes the company's distribution strategy and its effort to overcome limited mainstream support for books by Black authors.

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2. 1985The Red Sea Press is established

   Checole adds The Red Sea Press as a sister imprint focused especially on the Horn of Africa and uses it to distribute AWP titles and books from other Black publishers.

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3. 1983Africa World Press is founded

   Kassahun Checole establishes Africa World Press in Trenton, New Jersey, to publish books on Africa, African history, culture, politics, and the African diaspora.

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An independent, Pan-African-oriented specialist publisher and distributor serving academic, library, literary, and international audiences interested in Africa and the African diaspora.

• Africa World Press scholarly and cultural catalogBooks1983

  The core AWP catalog covers African history, politics, culture, society, and the experiences of the African diaspora. It includes academic and library-oriented studies as well as literary works, serving researchers, students, educators, and general readers seeking Africa-centered and diaspora-centered perspectives.

• The Red Sea PressImprint and distribution1985

  Created in 1985 as a sister imprint to Africa World Press, The Red Sea Press places particular emphasis on the Horn of Africa. It also operates as a distribution channel for AWP titles and books from other Black publishers, extending the reach of specialist African and African-diaspora publishing.

• Barrel of a PenLiterature

  An early Africa World Press publication by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, cited as one of the titles produced during the company's formative period. It illustrates the publisher's early commitment to African literary and intellectual work.

• Under a Soprano SkyPoetry

  An early title by Sonia Sanchez associated with Africa World Press's initial catalog. Its inclusion reflects the company's interest in literary expression connected to African American cultural and intellectual life.

• AfrocentricityAfrican American studies

  An early title by Molefi Kete Asante cited among Africa World Press's notable 1980s publications. The book represents the publisher's engagement with debates about African-centered approaches to history, identity, and scholarship.

• 1985Build an in-house distribution operationStrategy

  After finding that established United States distributors were reluctant to carry and promote Black-focused books at meaningful scale, Africa World Press needed a way to reach readers beyond its own publishing list.

  What changed. Kassahun Checole created The Red Sea Press as a sister imprint and used it to distribute AWP books and titles from other Black publishers.

  Aftermath. The publishing group developed a combined publishing and distribution model serving academic, library, specialist, and international markets.

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• 2019Kassahun Checole discusses the importance of African American publishing

  An Independent Book Publishers Association interview highlighted Checole's account of the company's origins, the distribution barriers faced by Black publishers, and Africa World Press's broader effort to reach readers with books about Africa and the African diaspora.

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1. Africa World Press
2. Indie Publisher Kassahun Checole on the Importance & Vitality of African American Publishing
3. Africa World Press official website