Since Monday a book fair has been held in Qamishlo in Northern Syria. 39 publishers present 120,000 books in five languages. For the first time, children's books will also be exhibited at the fair. Seminars are offered in the supporting programme.
In Qamishlo, the "Şehîd Herekol" book fair, organised by the Cultural Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, is taking place for the fourth time. The motto of the fair, which opened on Monday, is "Read and get to know yourself". In the Zana Salon in the northern Syrian city, 39 publishing houses exhibit 120,000 books in Kurdish, Arabic, Syriac, Turkish and English.
The interest in the book fair is great. At the opening, Aram Ali, speaking on behalf of the organisers, said that the Cultural Committee was very happy to be able to hold the fair despite the adverse conditions in the region. Some publishing houses from Southern Kurdistan had to cancel their participation "for political reasons".
The six-day book fair is named after fallen YPG commander Hisên Çawîş (Nom de Guerre: Herekol). Preventive measures have been taken due to the Coronavirus pandemic. On the second day a knowledge contest was held. Those who were able to answer the questions correctly received a book as a prize.
Seminars were held as part of the supporting programme. On Tuesday, an Arabic-speaking seminar dealt with the topic "The Kurds between Lausanne and Sevres", while a Kurdish-speaking workshop dealt with "Women and Novels". For the first time, children's books are also presented at the fair.
