Bazarkurdistan: Running from April 9 to 19 this year, the Erbil International Book Fair, organized by the Al-Mada Foundation for Culture and Arts, celebrates the growing prominence and global recognition of the Kurdish language. Recent milestones, such as Kurdish being recognized as a primary language on Google’s search engine, underscore its increasing significance.
The fair boasts an international presence, featuring over 350 publishing houses from 22 Arab and foreign nations. Notably, this year marks the first participation of exhibitors from new regions, including neighboring countries, the Maghreb, and the Gulf states. According to a press release, the exhibition will cover an impressive 20,000 square meters and showcase millions of titles.
As a dynamic cultural hub, the Erbil International Book Fair collaborates with the General Union of Writers and Authors in Iraq and the Iraqi Publishers and Booksellers Association. Key highlights include:
• Dialogue and Cultural Sessions: Addressing translation and language issues with contributions from Kurdish, Arab, and international experts.
• Specialized Workshops: Tackling challenges and opportunities within the publishing industry.
• Intellectual Forums: Facilitating discussions on cultural and political topics, including regional dynamics and Iraq’s socio-cultural landscape.
• Poetry Evenings: Celebrating poetic traditions and talents.
• Book Signing Events: Providing readers with opportunities to interact with authors and collect signed editions.
• Artistic Performances: Adding a creative flair to the festival atmosphere.
A Broader Perspective
This year’s fair coincides with the conclusion of the Sharjah Booksellers Conference and precedes the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival—both significant events that attract attention from Western publishing media. However, discussions surrounding the Arab Literary Renaissance often focus on familiar venues such as Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, leaving grassroots events like Iraq’s Erbil fair and Morocco’s Rabat fair overlooked or relegated to footnotes.
If you are fortunate enough to attend the Erbil fair this year or come across local coverage that deserves broader recognition, please reach out.
An increasing number of people in the Kurdistan Region are embracing English-language literature, particularly among the youth.
English titles are in high demand at this 17th International Book Fair in Erbil.
“I mostly read books in English. Since childhood, I have consumed English media—YouTube, movies, and channels—and I primarily read English books because my curriculum is in English,” said Malak Bilal, a student, in an interview with Rudaw’s Horvan Rafaat at the fair.
Students Dler and Yousef Bayiz, who traveled from Duhok, echoed similar sentiments, noting that they find it easier to understand scientific texts in English.
Bookstore owners have made efforts to stock the latest titles from the United States, the United Kingdom, and European countries for their readers.
“Due to the curriculum available in our country and the prevalence of English-medium private schools, there has been an increase in English-language readers. While some books are translated into Kurdish, they often do not capture the essence of the original English text,” explained Hussein Salim, owner of Haval Bookstore in Erbil.
Among the 412 vendors at the fair, only five specialize in English-language titles, yet these are among the most sought after.
The book fair in Erbil is not just another aspect of the Renaissance movement that took years ago to redefine the features of the city and all the bright spaces in the Kurdistan region and devote its identity, but rather interferes with the process of revival that spreads from one field to another and in all directions to devote new values commensurate with the spirit The era and its requirements and the expansion of the areas of progress and modernization carried out by the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq.
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