Today 95% of books by Congolese authors are published abroad. The cumulative costs of their transport and import makes them a luxury products, once in the DRC. Meanwhile, books that are sent as donations (to schools or public bookstores) often deal with subjects that are foreign to the local reality.

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We've heard people say that Congolese don't read. "If you want to hide something from a Congolese, put it in a book". At Mlimani, we think that's a supply problem: that if there were paper back editions, at an affordable price, which talk about the country's subjects, available close by and discussed in public spaces, the written word would circulate.

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African literary talent has been all the rage for a long time, especially in the French-speaking world. Our dream is to see the work of great African authors, from Blaise Ndala to Aimé Césaire, from Yala Kisukidi to Mumbere Mujomba be re-edited, printed and distributed in this country.