Outdated concepts and misguided considerations bog Arab participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair, argues Gamal Zayda* Preliminary statements made by the organisers responsible for Arab participation at the Frankfurt International Book Fair indicate that their perceptions continue to be dominated by misguided concepts and political considerations rather than the real issues that should be addressed at such a venue. Thus we find Mohamed Ghoneim, executive director of the programme of Arab participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair telling Reuters on 28 August that "there should be no politics at the Frankfurt Book Fair because this is a cultural forum not the UN". But the artificial distinction between what is political and non-political can no longer be made, certainly not if you want to address the causes of the Arab world's cultural deterioration: this latter can hardly be done by ignoring the political repression and inadequacy that are its root causes. It is possible the executive director in charge of Arab participation at Frankfurt made the statement in an attempt to secure the attendance of the largest possible number of Arab participants. Whatever, the statement inadvertently reveals the depths to which the Arab cultural scene has sunk. The sanctity accorded consensus, the fear of rubbing up political systems the wrong way, constitutes one major element that has ensured Arab culture has remained where it has remained for the past half century. Statements like Ghoneim's express a technocratic mentality the prime objective of which is to balance the interests of Arab political regimes while ignoring the obstacles so many of them contribute to, not the least among which is ineptitude in alleviating poverty and combating rampant illiteracy. But this glossing over of issues and the attempt to embroider the state of Arab culture in the eyes of German and international audiences will not hold water. How can it hope to, when entrenched interests and worn-out attitudes continue to deprive younger generations of Arab writers and artists from opening up and interacting with other cultures? The facts speak for themselves: Arab cultural production subsists in an environment where expenditure on books and reading is at best meagre. The percentage of expenditure on books in relation to income in many Arab countries is practically negligible. Pressing necessities like food, clothes and education dictate the spending patterns of the majority of Arab households. Expenditure on culture occupies the lowest rung of the spending ladder, a position that is, if anything, exacerbated by the fact that the level of illiteracy in Egypt now stands at a catastrophic 50 per cent. As for Arab cultural circles, they have become petrified closed circuits, drowning in frustration because of the inability to publish in the absence of institutions that are willing to sponsor talent. The only exceptions are those institutions and cliques that have thrived on the resources provided by individuals from oil-producing countries who seek, through patronage of the arts, an enhanced social status. These are some of the issues that those responsible for Arab culture should have borne in mind as they headed towards the Frankfurt Book Fair, rather than the censoring of politics. Scrutiny of the list of participants invited, though, leaves little room for confidence that any novel approaches to the questions at hand will be broached. A lot of fanfare has accompanied the announcement of names invited to attend and of those, like Bahraini writer Mohamed Jaber Al-Ansari and the Moroccan Mohamed Abed Al-Jabry, who "regrettably apologised". It is as if the aim of the organisers was simply to showcase Arabic culture and prove that there is, after all, a substantial number of individuals who can partake in a dialogue with the West. But where, in all of this, are the names of the young and aspiring writers and artists who will chart the future of Arab culture? Where are the talented individuals who will be leading creativity in the coming decades? The answer is that they will not be present at Frankfurt because they have been unable to penetrate the cultural establishment's maze-like monopoly of the written media. They cannot compete with its connections, or its interests, or its singular competence in contacting Western institutions in order to obtain funding for translation. Before we engage in any dialogue with the West we must look at ourselves and our lapses, and in doing so we will, hopefully, be able to devise new policies capable of fostering new ideas and new talent. Arab participation at Frankfurt should have been presaged on an agenda focussing on the pertinent question: what led to the clash between Arabic Islamic culture and the West which erupted after 11 September? It is only by answering this question that the Arab world will be placed on a par with the West, or with any other entity for that matter. Apart from the chronic Palestinian-Israeli conflict and cataclysmic, bloody events in Iraq, what led to this clash? Is it the educational systems of the Arab world or is it their religious education? Is it the often demagogic rhetoric that dominates some Arab media institutions? Is it the lack of freedom, accountability and transparency within Arab societies? These are all questions that needed to be addressed and then laid open to discussion. The Western press has often noted with irony the fact that Arabic culture has offered the world little of note during the Arab world's post-imperialist phase of political and economic liberation. And if anyone knows why this should be the case it is us, the Arabs. We know why when we peruse our outdated, undemocratic educational systems which encourage neither independent thinking nor scientific research. We know why when we see the operation of our universities, burdened with their heavy bureaucracies and operating in an environment in which corruption and nepotism have became the sad reality. As for our professors, well they have become more keen on preserving their own positions than engendering knowledge in their students. Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz was the product of the first half of the 20th century, an era in which a vibrant cultural and intellectual environment existed for a host of reasons. The same holds true of the other great thinkers of the last century, figures such as Taha Hussein, Youssef Idris, Zaki Naguib Mahmoud and Louis Awad. It is undeniable that our legacy to the world in the post-liberation phase has been meagre. Yet advances can be made, though they require Arab parties to seek scientific and cultural cooperation with Europe and the West, a task that is now urgent. It is a situation only we can face and work towards changing. Sadly, though, we will now have to wait for occasions other than the Frankfurt Book Fair. * The writer is deputy-editor-in-chief of Al- Ahram.
