Khartoum International Book Fair
22 October, 2015KHARTOUM (SUDANOW)—The First Vice President, Lt. Gen. Bakre Hassan Salih, has inaugurated at Khartoum Exhibitions Park in Burre neighborhood the 11th Session of Khartoum Book Fair which lasts from October 17-29.
Present at the inaugural ceremony were Culture Minister Al-Tayeb Hassan Bedawe, his aides, ministers of state, members of Khartoum State government, a number of ambassadors resident in Khartoum, President of the Arab Publishers Union Isam Shalabi, representatives of Sudanese, Arab and foreign publishing houses and a number of intellectuals.
Salih tour the pavilions of the Fair which consists of 267 local and foreign publishing houses, exhibiting scientific, cultural, literary and religious books in addition to a good number of child, university and school books.
During a tour of the Fair, SUDANOW spoke to a number of exhibitors, officials and visitors on the occasion:
The Participant Countries:
The Director of Khartoum Book Fair, Mujahid Mohamed Ahmed, said a good number of publishing houses are taking part for the first time in this session. He attributed this to the Fair's good fame in the region, pointing out that one advantage is that a visitor can buy direct from a publishing house in the Fair. He said Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, India, South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Britain are taking part in Khartoum Book Fair. The close cooperation between the publishing houses and the administration of the Fair has provided a conducive environment for the Fair, added to the daily visits by the Minister of Culture to the Fair.
The Sudanese reader:
Hashim bin Khamis bin Hashim, of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman, said: The Khartoum Book Fair possesses a respectable administration and so the Sudanese people everywhere, in general. The public attendance is less than fairs in other countries, but the Sudan possesses intellectuals of a standard which really surprised me.
Ridha Awad, the Vision for Publishing and Distribution, Egypt, said: We participate regularly each year in this cultural event which is considered the sole lung through which the Sudanese reader and intellectual breath and earnestly wait to satiate their love for reading. There is progress in the organization, although there are slight problems and mistakes which we have discussed with the Director of the Fair and which we hope will not arise during the future sessions. Our top concern centers around the Sudanese reader who possesses a special taste for reading and who is a true intellectual that sacrifices everything for the sake of culture and obtaining a book, forgetting his self, clothes and food and placing culture as his sole concern. Personally, I have a close contact with the Sudanese culture and I have published many books written by Sudanese authors and thinkers, while there are many other books presently being printed. So far, the attendance by the visitors is good.
Accompanying Cultural Programmes:
Late Poet Mohamed al-Faitory has been named the Character of the Year and an intellectual and cultural symposium will be held in his honor.There is also wide diverse programme consisting of lectures, symposiums and literary nights to be organized in the cultural clubs, theatres, universities and Sharjah Hall in mornings and evenings, including events in commemoration of late popular poet Mohamed al-Hassan Hummaid, song writer Mohamed wad al-Rudi, .
Najat al-Musbah, a jurist remarked that the accompanying programmes are lacking in publicity, revealing a noticeable weakness in this aspect. She also noticed a total disappearance of Shiite books in the Fair, unlike the case in previous sessions.
High Prices:
Female students Razan and Widad said they had long been waiting for the opening of Khartoum Book Fair, especially as there were notices saying there would be reduction by 50% of the prices of books and therefore they visited the Fair on the day of inauguration. But they found out that reduction was false and they could not buy a medical reference and several novels as they were planning and therefore returned home with only three novels. Confirming their statements, a Sudanese publisher who preferred anonymity said most of the exhibitors are Egyptians who fix the prices without control.
Free Books:
Al-Beshir al-Hassan, of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché in Khartoum, said: We participate each year with publications issued by the Attaché, King Abdul Aziz, King Fahd and King Faisal public libraries, the ministries of Endowments and Humanitarian Affairs, Culture and Information and Education and the Saudi universities. The Saudi Cultural attaché in Khartoum prints books and souvenirs. All books are not for sale, except one book titled That Al-Muhitain (Two Oceans) which speaks about South Africa and its late President Nelson Mandela. All books will be distributed free of charge by the end of the Fair. We also participate with the Saudi Heritage Home which consists of coffee, dates and some Saudi customs. The organization of the Fair is good and so is the attendance.
Exchange of Experiences:
Ibrahim Mohamed al-Gady, the Holy Koran Preservation Society, Jordan, said:- This is our first participation. We have come to the Sudan, despite the travel hardships, mainly for contacts with the Khalawi (Koran Schools) and the Holy Koran Memorization Society. Ours is a non-profit cultural charity society, although its revenue goes for the Holy Koran memorization programmes in Jordan. Our main aim is establishing links and exchanging experience with the relevant organizations in Sudan. We are going to participate in the coming events after the interaction and attendance we have seen during the past couple of days. The organization of the Fair was Marvelous. I seize this opportunity to extend, through you, my thanks to H.E. the Federal Minister of Culture and the Director of the Fair for the facilities they have offered us, especially to the Jordanian publishers who have come here for participation in the Fair this year.
Absence of Outstanding Publishing Houses:
Imad al-Dinn Ali, of Reem Publishing and Distributing House, Sudan, said: This is our fifth participation. The public attendance is weak due to an inadequate publicity, whether audible or visible, prior to the start of the Fair. In comparison, the publicity for Sharjah Fair began long before the opening on numerous media organs. There are outstanding publishing houses in Lebanon, Syria, Algeria and Morocco which are absent from the Khartoum Book Fair. Another problem with the Fair is the non-participation by the Azbakiyah bookshops and the African countries like Ethiopia and Nigeria with which dealing can be made through translation of some books. The publishing industry in Sudan is poor, despite the existence of a great number of distinguished Sudanese writers and the distribution is poorer as, in fact, the State offers nothing for the Book.
Organizational Suggestions:
Mohamed al-Maghrebi, of Al-Galum (Pen) Publishing House, Syria, said: Our House was absent from the Fair only last year as a result of the security conditions back home. The officials in charge of the Fair are doing well but they can do better in light of the available capabilities. The inauguration was greatly wonderful. I have a suggestion with regard to the timing, although the Sudanese people are generally impromptu, there should be a measure of punctuality, particularly at the start and end of the working hours of the Fair, compared with similar fairs held in the Gulf States, although the possibilities there are better and there are specialists in the business. Yet, taking the possibilities in the Sudan in mind, the organization was good but the attendance of the public is poor compared to Algiers' Fair, for instance, where the visitors number 100,000 a day.
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