Jeddah Book Fair Set for January
Published October 1st, 2007
Thanks to the support of the local business community, the Jeddah Literary Club’s efforts to organize an international book fair in the city will bear fruit next January, according to Ahmad Qarran, poet and club board member.
“We started all the necessary preparations for holding the fair in January,” said Qarran. “This fair will surely be different from the previous ones.”
The book fair will be held at the International Exhibition Center of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 10 consecutive days starting Jan. 12. More details have yet to be announced, but Qarran said that there would be poetry and fiction readings and other cultural seminars. Last April, JCCI threw its weight behind the event by offering up its exhibition center for free.
There have been Jeddah book fairs in the past, but they have not been consistent annual events.
One of the biggest problems in organizing such events is lack of funding.
The Jeddah Literary Club is one of a dozen such clubs in the Kingdom’s larger cities; they are approved and regulated by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Each club receives SR1 million annually in government funding. The club’s members have said that this budget is inadequate to fulfill the group’s cultural programs.
In an interview with Arab News last year, Deputy Minister of Culture Abdul Aziz Al-Sebail said that the budget of these clubs might be increased in the near future. No such increase of funding has yet occurred.
The first book fair in Jeddah took place in 1994 and only three others have taken place since. These fairs have been organized by private companies and have lacked readings and other cultural activities. In 2005, the Riyadh International Book Fair showcased readings that were well attended.
Related Articles Bangladesh trade fairs to be held in Dubai, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, ItalyPublishers Association and London Book FairFrankfurt Book FairOver 280000 visit Frankfurt Book FairWest Side Antiquarian Book & Ephemera Fair
