The 21st annual Doha International Book Fair—and its companion first-ever children's book festival—were not Qatar's primary obsession this late November and early December. Although the 2010 fair was crammed with children who were bused in from the country's independent Qatari schools, the nation's attention was largely fixed on whether or not it would win its bid to host the World Cup. Prominent Egyptian activist-journalist Hamdi Qandeel had the unfortunate honor of being scheduled to speak on Thursday evening, just after FIFA announced that Qatar would indeed play host to the World Cup in 2022. The country erupted in celebrations. The fair, which opened on 25 November, ends today. A handful of Qataris spoke at the opening of the children's festival on 30 November, including two schoolchildren: a boy who talked about how the Quran commands one to iqra, or read, and a girl who spoke about a love of reading. Generally, however, a Qatari presence was not much felt in the on-the-ground events organization. Most of the grown-up business of the fair was Arab publishers selling books. A few literary talks were held in the evenings, including readings by Lebanese poet Shawqi Bzai and a few Turkish authors. But the most talked-about books weren't contemporary literature, they were an ancient manuscript from Ptolemy, selling for 1.2 million Qatari Riyals (nearly LE2 million), and a Quran written entirely in gold. On the children's side, the program was much more active. It was organized by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) and sponsored by Qatar's Supreme Council of Education. A significant part of BQFP's managing staff is Egyptian, including Managing Director Seif Salmawy, formerly of Dar el Shorouk, and Amira Abed, the organization's Educational Programs Developer. Salmawy said that there was a reason so much effort was being put toward the children's side of the Doha fair. Children who read, he said, will grow into adults who read. “This is the future,” Salmawy declared. Salmawy also noted a shift in the whole festival from previous years: “There are more publishers interested in coming to Doha. They think it's a rising market. There's more attention being paid to having nicer stands or booths.” Some visiting publishers expressed disappointment, as 2010 sales weren't as strong as expected. And successive waves of schoolchildren sometimes upset stacks of books while spending their money on hot chocolate and croissants from the Costa Coffee inside the Exhibitions Center. But the children's side of the fair wasn't just about selling; it was also about sharing know-how. Organizers brought together award-winning Arab authors and illustrators—Fatima Sharafeddine from Lebanon, Walid Taher from Egypt, Lujaina Al-Assil from Syria—with prominent U.K. authors and illustrators like Sally Grindley and Debi Gliori. Two veteran editors from Bloomsbury U.K. were also scheduled to run a workshop for budding authors and illustrators in Qatar. Said Salmawy: “We need more [Arab] children's authors and illustrators on an international standard. And you can never have that without exposure to those who are the best in the market.” The visiting authors and illustrators gave more than a dozen presentations to Qatari schoolchildren. The workshops ranged from how to tell a story, to how to discuss literature, to how to draw. Egyptian author Ahmed Alaidy, who accepted a position as BQFP's Arabic editor this summer, was filming at the fair. He said that he was pleased with what he saw, “although I hoped to see more foreign publishers.” He added, “It's different from a few years ago. Two years again, it will be a whole different place.” Alaidy said the Qataris are moving slowly toward their goals, and that he already sees changes between when he first visited the country—in May—and now. “I like the idea of climbing a ladder. It's easy to throw money and say, ‘Improve everything.' They are improving themselves step by step.”
