Cassava Republic Press

Cassava Republic Press is an independent African publishing house established in Nigeria in 2006 by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf and Jeremy Weate. The company was created in response to what its founders regarded as a shortage of affordable, locally available books that reflected African lives and perspectives. Its central proposition is that African writers should not merely be written about, selected by, or exported through publishing systems based in Europe and North America; Africans should also own and operate the infrastructure through which African stories are produced, circulated, and read. The publisher began with a strong emphasis on literary fiction and has built a list featuring writers from Nigeria and other parts of Africa, including Teju Cole, Elnathan John, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Lola Shoneyin, Helon Habila, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Chigozie Obioma, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, Doreen Baingana, and others. Its catalogue also extends into crime fiction, romance, children’s literature, and young-adult books. Some of its titles have appeared on Nigeria’s national curriculum, helping the company reach readers beyond the commercial literary market. Affordability and access have been recurring priorities. Cassava Republic has sought to lower the cost of books for African readers while using print, digital distribution, and international partnerships to widen access. The company’s slogan, “Feeding the African Imagination,” reflects an ambition to strengthen reading cultures and cultural confidence as well as to sell individual titles. Its name combines cassava, an accessible and nutritious crop associated with West Africa and the African diaspora, with the idea of a republic as a new, self-directed political and cultural space. In 2014, the company launched Ankara Press as an associated digital imprint focused on contemporary romance. Ankara Press was intended to broaden the definition of African literature by publishing genre fiction and by presenting relationships, gender roles, and aspirations that move beyond conventional stereotypes. The imprint’s output formed part of Cassava Republic’s broader effort to demonstrate that African publishing can encompass popular genres as well as literary fiction. After operating in Nigeria for roughly a decade, Cassava Republic opened a London operation in April 2016. This was a notable reversal of the more familiar pattern in which European or North American publishers establish operations in Africa. In 2017, the company expanded access to its catalogue in the United States through distribution arrangements that allowed American bookstores to stock Cassava Republic editions directly. Rather than routinely selling North American publication rights and leaving editorial selection to overseas publishers, the company retained greater control over which books were exported and how they were presented. The international expansion increased the visibility of the company and of contemporary African writing, while its stated philosophy continued to emphasize African ownership of production and storytelling. Cassava Republic has been described by commentators as an important participant in Nigeria’s modern literary scene and as an innovator in combining local publishing, affordable editions, digital media, and international distribution. The company remains associated with Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, whose academic background in gender studies and publishing leadership have shaped its focus on representation, access, and the development of new literary talent.

Cassava Republic Press was founded in Nigeria in 2006 by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf and Jeremy Weate. Bakare-Yusuf had worked as an academic in the United Kingdom and Nigeria and held a doctorate in gender studies from the University of Warwick, while neither founder initially came from a conventional commercial publishing background. Their motivation was practical as well as cultural: Bakare-Yusuf had encountered a limited supply of books in Nigerian homes, libraries, and bookshops, including too few works by African writers that spoke directly to local readers. Many African authors were being published abroad but were difficult to obtain in the countries and communities they described. The founders set out to create a publishing business that could make high-quality African writing more affordable and accessible. The company’s philosophy extended beyond commissioning manuscripts. It aimed to increase African ownership of publishing infrastructure and to give African publishers greater authority over editorial choices, production, marketing, and distribution. This approach positioned Cassava Republic as both a commercial publisher and an intervention in the organization of African literary culture. The company’s early list concentrated on literary fiction, particularly writing from Nigeria and other African countries. Over time it published authors such as Teju Cole, Elnathan John, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Lola Shoneyin, Helon Habila, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Chigozie Obioma, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, Doreen Baingana, and others. The list was not restricted to literary fiction: it also included crime, romance, children’s books, and young-adult titles. Several books reached educational audiences through inclusion on Nigeria’s national curriculum. In 2014, Cassava Republic introduced Ankara Press, an associated imprint delivered initially through digital books and devoted to contemporary African romance. The imprint was designed to challenge the assumption that African literature should be understood mainly through literary or realist categories. Its editorial concept sought stories about modern African women and men that questioned restrictive ideas about gender, control, and relationships. The move also demonstrated the company’s interest in genre fiction as a way of broadening readership. Cassava Republic remained based in Nigeria for approximately ten years before establishing a London operation in April 2016. The move was significant because it represented an African publishing house creating a base in the United Kingdom rather than a foreign publisher expanding into Africa. The London launch gave the company a more direct route to British readers, booksellers, festivals, and literary institutions, while retaining its African editorial identity. In 2017, Cassava Republic expanded its US presence through a distribution arrangement with Consortium, enabling its books to be supplied directly to American bookstores. The company generally emphasized distributing its own editions rather than relying exclusively on US publishers to acquire and filter publication rights. This model allowed Cassava Republic to determine which books were taken abroad and to expose overseas readers to a wider range of contemporary African writing, including romance, crime, fantasy, and children’s literature. The publisher’s development has been accompanied by recognition for diversity and inclusion. It received the Independent Publishers Guild’s Alison Morrison Diversity Award in 2018 and the Inclusivity in Publishing Award at the London Book Fair in the same year. In 2019, it was selected for support from the African Publishing Innovation Fund for work connected with literacy, book access, and indigenous African languages. In 2020, Bakare-Yusuf received the Distinguished Africanist Award from the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom. Cassava Republic’s continuing identity rests on the combination of affordability, African editorial agency, talent development, and international circulation. Its slogan, “Feeding the African Imagination,” summarizes the ambition to build reading cultures and a body of African writing that connects different countries, generations, genres, and communities in Africa and its diaspora.

• 2020

  Bibi Bakare-Yusuf receives Distinguished Africanist Award

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s co-founder and publisher is recognized by the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom.

• 2019

  African Publishing Innovation Fund grant announced

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Cassava Republic is selected for funding supporting innovation in literacy, book accessibility, and indigenous African-language publishing.

• 2018

  Publisher receives diversity and inclusivity awards

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Cassava Republic receives the Independent Publishers Guild’s Alison Morrison Diversity Award and the Inclusivity in Publishing Award at the London Book Fair.

• 2017

  US bookstore distribution begins

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  A distribution arrangement with Consortium makes Cassava Republic editions more directly available to booksellers in the United States.

• 2016

  London operation opens

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Cassava Republic establishes a presence in London, marking a major international expansion for an African publisher.

• 2014

  Ankara Press is launched

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The associated imprint begins publishing contemporary African romance, initially with an emphasis on digital editions and broader genre representation.

• 2006

  Cassava Republic Press is founded in Nigeria

  [1]Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Bibi Bakare-Yusuf and Jeremy Weate establish the publishing house to make African writing more affordable and to expand African control over publishing and storytelling.

An independent African publisher focused on affordable, locally rooted, internationally distributed books and on increasing African control over the production and circulation of African literature.

• Books · 2006

  Literary fiction

  Cassava Republic’s core list consists of contemporary literary fiction by Nigerian and other African writers. The catalogue emphasizes work grounded in African social realities while remaining open to international readership. Authors associated with the list include Teju Cole, Elnathan John, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Lola Shoneyin, Helon Habila, Chigozie Obioma, and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim.

• Books

  Genre fiction

  The publisher also develops crime, romance, and other genre fiction, treating popular forms as an important part of African literary culture rather than limiting African writing to literary realism. This part of the list supports the company’s goal of reaching broader and younger reading audiences.

• Romance imprint · 2014

  Ankara Press

  Launched in 2014, Ankara Press is an associated imprint focused on contemporary African romance. Its editorial concept seeks to represent modern African relationships and aspirations while challenging narratives centered on male dominance, control, and manipulation. The imprint initially made titles available in digital form.

• Books

  Children's and young-adult books

  Cassava Republic publishes books for children and young adults alongside its adult list. These titles extend the company’s effort to make books that reflect African experiences available to younger readers, and some Cassava Republic titles have been used in Nigeria’s national curriculum.

• Digital publishing · 2014

  E-books

  Digital editions have been used to widen access to Cassava Republic’s catalogue and were particularly associated with the Ankara Press launch. Digital distribution supports the publisher’s broader strategy of reaching readers across African and international markets without depending solely on physical bookstore networks.

• 2017Direct US distribution

  United States

  Cassava Republic used a distribution partnership with Consortium to place its own editions in US bookstores instead of depending entirely on rights sales to American publishers.

  Outcome. The arrangement gave American readers access to a broader selection of books chosen and published by an African press.

  Source
• 2016London launch and literary-market expansion

  United Kingdom · Nigeria · Africa

  The company used a London presence and participation in literary networks and festivals to bring African-published books to British readers while maintaining African editorial ownership.

  Outcome. Cassava Republic established a direct base outside Africa and increased the international visibility of its authors and titles.

  Source
• 2014Ankara Press launch

  Africa · United Kingdom · United States · Digital markets

  Cassava Republic introduced an associated romance imprint intended to diversify African publishing through contemporary relationship stories and digital-first distribution.

  Outcome. The imprint broadened the publisher’s catalogue beyond literary fiction and became part of its effort to develop genre readerships.

  Source

• 2019

  Explore African-language publishingStrategy

  Background

  The company identified indigenous African languages and book accessibility as areas for future publishing innovation.

  Action taken

  Cassava Republic announced plans for an African-language imprint and received support from the African Publishing Innovation Fund for related innovation work.

  Aftermath

  The plans reinforced the company’s focus on expanding the linguistic and geographic reach of African literature, although the subsequent launch details are not established here.

  Source

• 2017

  Distribute Cassava Republic editions directly in the United StatesStrategy

  Background

  The company wanted to reach American readers while retaining influence over which African books were exported and how they were published.

  Action taken

  Cassava Republic partnered with Consortium to supply its editions to US bookstores.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement increased the availability of African-published books in the United States and reduced reliance on conventional foreign-rights filtering.

  Source

• 2016

  Establish a UK baseStrategy

  Background

  After a decade in Nigeria, Cassava Republic sought a direct presence in a major international literary market without reversing its African ownership model.

  Action taken

  The publisher launched operations in London and brought selected titles to the UK market.

  Aftermath

  The move gave the company improved access to British booksellers, festivals, and readers.

  Source

• 2014

  Create the Ankara Press romance imprintProduct launch

  Background

  Cassava Republic sought to make African publishing more diverse by treating genre fiction, especially romance, as an important route to wider readership.

  Action taken

  The company launched Ankara Press with a focus on contemporary African romance and digital editions.

  Aftermath

  The imprint expanded the group’s audience and challenged narrow definitions of African literature.

  Source

• 2006

  Build an African-owned publishing platformStrategy

  Background

  The founders saw limited local availability of African writing and believed that African participation should extend beyond authorship to the ownership of publishing infrastructure.

  Action taken

  Cassava Republic was established in Nigeria with an emphasis on affordable books, local talent development, and editorial control by an African publisher.

  Aftermath

  The strategy became the foundation of the company’s identity and later international expansion.

  Source

1. 1Cassava Republic Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cassava Republic Press official websitecassavarepublic.biz