The inspiration for the following article came to me from the news about the national book fair from Alexandria, in Egypt. I was toying with the idea of writing an article about the need to organize similar book exhibition in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa which has grown to potentially become one of the biggest centers of national cultural activities.
Alexandria is of course the second biggest city in Egypt after Cairo and it has long become the venue for culture and entertainment particularly at this time of the year when summer is offering a once in a year opportunity for many Egyptians to come to the city and attend cultural events. The annual Alexandria book exhibition is one of the most frequented and eagerly awaited cultural event that take place every year in summer.
Book fairs can take place not only in summer but also in winter or in the rainy season as it may be the case in Ethiopia for different reasons. Alexandria was apparently chosen to become the venue of the annual exhibition due to the fact that the book market is hot in summer as visitors from every corner of Egypt come for the vacation and buy books as an annual cultural ritual. The contrast between Addis and Alexandria could only be sharp because the level of cultural development in the two African cities cannot be comparable.
While Egypt holds such book fairs in many cities, Ethiopia has not yet developed the capacity for organizing regular annual book fairs for the residents of Addis Ababa. Yet, Addis has a lot to learn from Alexandria and a great potential for cultural growth as it is the melting pot of various cultures and ethnic groups in the country who speak different languages and some of which have their written scripts and are already engaged in book publishing although their capacity might be limited at present.
Egypt and Ethiopia are not only among the most ancient written civilizations in Africa. These two countries have also developed their respective scripts and have played key roles in the development of their respective written literatures. Egypt’s strategic position along the Red Sea and its proximity to the Indian Ocean has located it at the crossroads of various original civilizations like the Greek, the Arab and European civilization. This geographic advantage has also helped the country to develop its literature in Arabic which was and still is one of the languages of literature in the area. In the modern age, Arabic literature could develop at a faster pace so much so that it has produced some of the most classic literature.
Egyptian civilization is not only based on the Nile river. It also claims its inspiration from different civilization in the region that have contributed to the growth of publishing books as well as to the emergence of prominent writers who have been honored with the most coveted international literary awards such as the Noble Prize. As a corollary of this, Egypt has a clear advantage as far book publishing and book exhibitions are concerned. The country has only one written language, which is Arabic and the population of the region is far more homogeneous as it traces its origin from the Berber and Arabic ethnic group. This has of course both advantages and a disadvantages as far literary development and book fairs are concerned.
Addis Ababa is of course the political, economic, social and cultural center of Ethiopia, a city growing in importance as the center of African diplomacy and culture and as a potential center of African culture, as this columnist has often suggested. Together with cinema and other art forms, books are of course important in the overall development of a country like Ethiopia that has a long history of printing and publishing books.
Although, Ethiopia is generally recognized as one of the ancient civilizations in the continent of Africa, particularly in the development of its written script that date back to the 4th century Axum civilization. Ge’ez, as the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been at the center of church learning before it was replaced by Amharic as the national language of the country.
“Ethiopian literature has been characterized for many centuries by the unchallenged sway Ge’ez or the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had over all aspects of intellectual life including literature. Ge’ez literature largely dealt with the lives and miracles of saints and angels and largely consisted of church chronicles, so to say. It hardly dealt with secular themes and the lives of ordinary Ethiopians. Amharic, although an offshoot of Ge’ez, later on made a sharp break with this ancient tradition and started to serve as a vehicle for the feelings, emotions, aspirations and hopes and frustrations of ordinary Ethiopians.
Printing is also an ancient art in Ethiopia even though book publishing is a relatively more recent phenomenon. Although Addis Ababa has so far failed to provide its residents the luxury of organizing annual book fairs there were irregular book fairs taking place in the capital whose experience could be used to establish a regular annual such exhibition as a feature of its cultural events.
The 19th Alexandria national book fair took place for a week running in the second Egyptian city of Alexandria for a week running from July 14- 28, 2024. According to an online report by africanews.com, there were 77 publishers at this year’s fair and an entire section dedicated to children’s literature. The two week book fair or exhibition featured 160 cultural events involving around 600 artists and intellectuals. The Alexandria book fair is growing with new events added every year along with new publishing houses.
A book fair is a display or exhibit of books typically by a group of publishers or book dealers for promoting sales and stimulating interests. It is also defined as a fair or bazaar at which books are sold or auctioned to raise money for some worthy cause. The benefits of book fair are many. They expose visitors to different cultures, connect them with favorite authors, develop their interests in reading and motivate them. Besides the general public, students are expected to strive to attend book fairs in order to broaden their perspectives through reading and expose themselves to the best works of national or international literature.
The cultural advantages of book fairs are many. “They help develop reading and comprehension skills. A book fair is an excellent opportunity to build students’ home libraries, further their reading and comprehension skills and often build knowledge and vocabulary critical to understanding new subject matter. This practice enables families to make reading a family event.” This is true as far as students are concerned. Yet, the general public too can get many advantages visiting book fairs because they supply books at lower prices and introduce readers to new titles and old ones that are currently out of print. Book fairs can also introduce their visitors to carious genres of books and inspire potential young writers to get inspiration to embark on a writing career.
Book fairs are not only for display and book sales. At book fairs, authors hold discussion forums and introduce their new books to the visitors. They sign autographs and give free book gifts to their fans as well as encourage new and upcoming authors by sharing their experiences. “Book fairs feature author talks and panel discussions, where you can learn about the writing process hear about new releases and ask your favorite authors questions about their private and public lives in their long writing careers.
If we look at the advantages of book fair in the Ethiopian context, we realize that they can easily serve as factors of cultural cohesion by allowing readers and students from the various ethnic groups to come and see what kind of books are published and how they can replicate their experiences to their own realities back home. This would in turn give them the inspiration to organize regional book fairs that would cater for the growth of the local literature.
Due to historical reasons, the level of cultural development in Ethiopian regions is far from being uniform. Some regions and ethnic groups are relatively more advanced in the development of their local literature and book publishing while others trail behind. These disparities can be narrowed by holding regular book fairs that provide opportunities for exchange of books as well as experiences. This can in turn create a spirit of competitiveness by inspiring participants to do better at the next book fair. This would also give rise to what is known as Reading Festivals Weeks.
During Reading Festival Weeks, children participate in a variety of engaging and fun activities to help promote literacy learning. By incorporating the use of technology and audio-visual aids, children are able to recognize the importance of expression when reading or storytelling. How many of us know that there is an annual World Book Day? The ideas or objectives of World Book Day are, among others, to remind us that everyone has a story to tell, everyone has an experience we can get joy and learn from. We can perhaps apply these ideas to the objectives of an annual national book fair that will be held in Addis Ababa and other major cities of the country. Most importantly book fairs will allow visitors that everyone has a story to tell and show them that wherever they live, they are not alone, in this way book fair can promote cohesion, belongingness and the spirit of healthy introversion.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 3 AUGUST 2024
