The project is financed by the French Embassy between 2023 and 2024. It stems from a clearly identified need. Since the beginning of the crisis in Lebanon, many families and schools have been unable to provide books to students. They generally use PDF files and scans of the works or part of the works on the program to compensate for the absence of books. The main factor identified is the price. A book published in France is sold at an additional cost of 10% in Lebanon, which makes the books difficult to access after the economic crisis and the devaluation of the local currency.
In order to answer this question of cost, the project provides for the transfer of the rights to French books by French publishers to Lebanese publishers in order to allow their local production and sale at half price. This solution proposes an innovative model, whereas, until now, the transfer of rights has mainly concerned the translation of works from French into a foreign language. As such, the project is a pilot that can potentially be replicated in other regions.
ITAR led a three-month evaluation following the OECD DAC criteria and determine whether the project allowed to meet its stated objectives:
- Objective 1: To break the price barrier. While books have been a “luxury” good since the beginning of the economic crisis and the devaluation of the national currency, it will be a question of validating whether the price barrier has been overcome thanks to the project. It also explores whether price was indeed the only factor in the decline in sales and use of textbooks and books in French.
- Objective 2: To contribute to Francophonie. Beyond the distribution and effective sale of books, the project aims to contribute to French-speaking education, which is losing ground in Lebanon.
- Objective 3: To support the ecosystem of French-speaking publishers and booksellers. The project also aims to financially support the publishers involved in the project.
