Media Associates International is pleased to announce the first winner of the Judith E. Markham Editorial Legacy Award, an annual grant for the training and professional development of Christian editors in the Majority World— Célimène Bada of Benin.
Célimène is an editorial assistant with Presses Bibliques Africaines (PBA), where she has been working for seven years, and is the author of a soon-to-be-published children’s book.
“I work daily on texts from the moment I receive the manuscript to the moment I put the book together, and I won’t hesitate to seize any training opportunity,” Célimène said. She interacts with authors, proposes contracts, coordinates proofreading, corrects manuscripts, formats documents, checks layouts, facilitates progress and monitors schedules.
Célimène has taken part in training courses in Cameroon and Benin, including a Christian writing workshop for French-speaking West Africa organized by MAI in collaboration with PBA in 2023.
“Célimène is committed to Christian publishing and can therefore take advantage of this grant to receive further training,” PBA publishing director Georges Laté said. “She’s passionate about her work as a reviser of Christian texts and I know she’ll achieve great things.”
Célimène’s vision is to see Benin’s youth reading as an essential means of their formation, contributing to their country’s development and God’s kingdom. She hopes to see a new generation of influential Christian readers and writers born in Benin.
In addition to her work with PBA, Célimène manages her church’s library. “In my professional and church responsibilities, I help people to access the right books that can transform and revolutionize their daily lives.”
The Judith E. Markham Editorial Legacy Award was presented for the first time last week in Puebla, Mexico at LittWorld 2024, a global conference for Christian writers and publishers. While she was unable to attend the ceremony, Célimène expressed her joy at receiving the award.
“It’s really a great encouragement. Thank you God for this grace. I thank Judith Markham for giving this opportunity to young people…. I promise to make good use of it to become a better editor in the world.”
Skilled editors come alongside aspiring authors and help them craft compelling, life-transforming content. They are vital to the fulfillment of MAI’s vision: a world in which readers everywhere have access to life-transforming Christian content in their heart language.
Célimène is one such emerging editor. The Judith E. Markham Editorial Legacy Award has been created to help equip Christian editors serving in countries where little on-site training is available. May the Lord continue to enable Célimène to serve Benin’s Christian writers.
