The Egyptian Writers' Union held its annual literary conference last week at the union's headquarters at the Salahuddin Citadel. The conference, whose theme this year was "Translation and Cultures' Dialogue. The conference hosted guests from Algeria, China, Italy, Syria, and Russia. Among the event's most distinguished visitors were Khalida Tomy, the Algerian culture minister, and Oleg Pavkin, secretary general of Russia's Writers' Union. "We are honoring authors whose works have won international awards, said Mohamed Salmawy, head of the Egyptian Writers' Union, in his opening speech. Translation, as the ceremony illustrated, has become the main criterion for award granting. "Without translation, there is no dialogue between cultures, Salmawy added. In her enthusiastic speech, Tomy invited the audience - comprised of novelists, poets and literary scholars - to put pressure on their government to grant them more funding; a fight similar to the one she leads in Algeria as a minister. This year's awards went to some of the biggest names in the current Egyptian literary scene, including novelists Bahaa Taher, Gamal Al-Ghitany, Alaa Al-Aswany, Idris Ali and poet Mohamed Afifi Mattar. "The number of translated books published in all Arab countries together is less than those translated into one European country like Greece or Spain, said Salmawy, stressing the need for more Arabic translations. Bahaa Taher, winner of last year's International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his "Wahet Al-Ghroub (Sunset Oasis), expressed a different concern. This time awarded for his "Hob fel Manfa (Love in Exile), Taher took the stage and drew attention to what he called a grave danger. "I wish the number of translations were smaller in quantity but greater in quality, he explained. Upon receiving his award, Gamal Al-Ghitany, highlighted another angle of the translation issue which is the recent shutdown of The Center for Eastern and Arabic Tendencies ("Ma'ahad Al-Asteshraq wal-Earab ). He added that rich Arabic countries should have provided the sufficient funds to keep the center, a historical reminder of the 10th century BC Arabic traveler Ahmed Ibn-Fadlan, alive and well-preserved. He also mentioned another concern not closely related to the issue of translation which he called literary terrorism. Al-Ghitany stressed that terrorism practiced by law courts against writers by means of large monetary fines highly restrains the creativity and quality of literary works. The most controversial part of the opening ceremony was Mohamed Afifi Mattar's speech upon receiving his award for his poetry collection "Roba'eet Al-Farah (Quartets of Joy). "Translation is an addressed letter of culture and civilization, he told the audience pointing out that translations from Arabic fail to put forth a realistic and positive image of our Arab world. "In their eyes, we are the world of Arabian Nights, we are a quirky tale of folklore. Europe translates its own image of us, said Mattar. Then, he proposed a solution to this problem: "I wish that the ones who translate our literature are our own people and our writers and not those barbarians. Following the ceremony, Mattar told Daily News Egypt that he used the extreme term "barbarians in describing Westerners because they are "murderers pointing to the wars in Palestine and Iraq. On the subject of translations from Arabic he added that "our Islamic culture and tradition must not appear as that of the literature of Arabian Nights: Harem, homosexuality, Shahrayer and the like. This comment may bring to mind the recent and widely-translated novel "The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al-Aswany and the controversy surrounding it and its cinematic adaptation for its portrayal of homosexuality in present day Egypt. When asked about what kind of literature he thought worthy of translation from Arabic, Mattar recommended the literature chronicling the resistance in Palestine and Iraq. The conference agenda included many topics: translation from Arabic into both European and Eastern languages, the translation of children's literature, as well as publishing problems that translators face today. The final event was a roundtable discussion of the translating experience and its connections to intercultural dialogue. "Among the conference's important recommendations was creating an association of translators as part of the Writers' Union and a center for coordinating translation in association with the ALECSO [Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization]," Salmawy told Daily News Egypt. He also expressed the Union's wish to continue this year's successful concept of honoring members in the following conferences. The union also expressed its support for Farouk Hosni, Egypt's culture minister and a leading candidate for the UNESCO's general director position. It also expressed its stance against the Israeli campaign aimed at him. Israel has protested Hosni's view against Egyptian-Israeli normalization cumulating in his comment at the Egyptian Parliament in May that he "would burn Israeli books himself if he found them in Egyptian libraries.
