CAIRO: Publishers from Arab countries that have experienced civil unrest took top billing at the Riyadh International Book Fair. Publishing houses from Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen all provided books covering the events in the Arab countries and aspirations for a new era. Titles from Yemen included “People Want a New Yemen” by Abdul Salam Al-Dali and “Longings for Freedom and the Pain of Labor” and “The Battle for Freeing Yemen from Saleh” by Fouad Al-Banna. There was also a book called “A Step to the Modern Yemen” that deals with the beginnings, events and challenges of the youth revolution in Yemen. Yemeni stands were also full of literature and heritage books covering Yemeni tribes, customs, traditions and folklore. The events of the Egyptian revolution were covered in books such as the “Media of the January Uprising” by Darwish Al-Ban. This book covered the experience of Egyptian youth in the use of social networking websites on the Internet and its impact on the outbreak of the revolution. Tunisia provided five stands and most of their titles dealt with the Tunisian uprising and the political and economic situations before and after the revolt. The fair was crowded, especially in the first two days, attracting around 130,000 visitors looking for books on science, literature and culture. Mohammad Al-Issa delivered a lecture on scholarship, hopes and aspirations that was followed by a second workshop on social networks and influencing opinion headed by Nashwa Al-Sokkari. A number of visitors from outside Riyadh also came. Ahmed Al-Sa'di from Hofuf in Al-Ahsa said he came to the exhibition in search of books to help him with his postgraduate studies. The organization of the fair appeared to be better than previous years and this was demonstrated through the ease of movement for visitors. Publishers said this year self-development and intellectual books were best sellers whereas in the past literary novels were the most popular. Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs and the fair's general supervisor Nasser Al-Hujailan last week pointed to new cultural events this year, including the launch of a Ministry of Culture and Information award for the top 10 outstanding books, the launch of an E-Book Fair where readers can buy and offer their books for sale, and the launch of the “A Book For All” project that promotes five books by prominent writers and intellectuals. Libyan publishing houses returned after a break of 11 years from participating in the fair. One Libyan house offered books and stories discussing various issues in Libya including the concerns of control and harassment from security forces that prevailed under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Notable absences were the Syrian houses due to the ongoing crisis in Syria. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8lN6x Tags: Arab Spring, Riyadh Book Fair Section: Culture, Latest News, Saudi Arabia
