OPINIONS

Do we read enough?

By Mohammed Al-Asaadi*

“Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth, (1) Createth man from a clot. (2) Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, (3) Who teacheth by the pen, (4) Teacheth man that which he knew not.” 96 Al-Alaq.

These are the first words of Holy Quran revealed to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). It is an ideal example of the significance of reading in Islam which has been neglected by Muslims and particularly the Arabs.

The government, Ministry of Culture, General Authority of Books, a newly-established union of publishers, and the National Library Project - whether collectively or independently - seem helpless to sustain in the Yemeni public the culture of reading. Thousands of titles were displayed, dozens of publishing houses participated, and millions of rials spent during a two-week book fair held recently in Sana’a. The 24th Book Fair, an annual event organized by the government, succeeded in engaging a lot of people in the capital city of Sana’a, but only for a brief while. However, it exposed the poor and unhealthy relationship between people, reading, and books which has developed as a result of many factors.

Illiteracy vs. Reading

Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar applauded the annual book fair on its inaugural day, stating that it reflects the government’s commitment to Yemeni culture. “The government is keen to develop such fairs annually so that they become distinct book fairs. Yemeni culture should be consolidated for the next generation, which must learn to read,” Mujawar said.

The government’s commitment, however, was challenged during a symposium held in parallel with the fair which addressed the issue of illiteracy in Arab countries and particularly in Yemen.

The rate of reading in the Arab world is up to a quarter of a page per person per year, according to the Arab Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2004. In comparison, the rate in the United States is 12 books per person per year, and in Israel, seven.

The lack of reading, and subsequently the shortage of publishing, is damaging the Middle East’s development in general. Yemen is the least developed country in the region, ranking 151st out of 177 nations on the Human Development Index and having a GDP per capita of just US$ 631.

Yemen also has one of the lowest literacy rates in the region, at about 60 percent of the male population and 35 percent of the female. Yemen suffers large gender inequalities as well, ranking 121st out of 140 countries on the gender equity scale. The governments’ efforts to achieve a remarkable increase have been thwarted by many obstacles. Among the main challenges are the deterioration of the national economy, the escalation of inflation, and the resulting widespread poverty. Although the government builds more schools and prints more textbooks every year, the results remain quantitative and not qualitative. According to the 2004 national census, 50 percent of the population in Yemen is below 18 years old; however, the Ministry of Education statistics show that there are only seven million students in schools, just two million of which are girls. Again the figures indicate that a large percentage of the population either does not attend school or has no access to education.

Schools in general have no libraries, and in the very few schools - mostly in major cities - which do have libraries, the schools does not actively promote a reading culture. Worse, the very traditional educational system that is not based on reading and research. “Even those who can read don’t know how to read,” said one education consultant. “Reading is a culture absent in our society and many under-developed countries in the Arab world and elsewhere. This a visible fact.”

Nevertheless, Faris Al-Saqqaf, head of the General Authority for Books, said that despite this fact the Arab world is in a period of awakening in an attempt to restore respect for books and reading. “GAB is trying to distribute books so that they become available to everybody despite limited opportunities and low budgets,” Al-Saqqaf said.

According to Al-Saqqaf, a joint effort between the GAB and the Ministry of Education is expected to establish a library in every school, to make reading a required subject, and to allocate a period in school timetables to reading in an attempt to link students with books and encourage them to read more.

Publishing Industry in Yemen

Yemeni publishers announced the establishment of a union during the book fair under the auspices of the GAB to develop literacy in Yemen. Al-Saqqaf said that the government and civil society should collaborate to support and encourage the manufacture and delivery of books to everyone in the community, in addition to supporting research and writing.

Faisal Saeed Fare’a, General Director of the Al-Saeed Foundation for Science and Culture, a private institution, said that making books accessible to society must begin with official policies that place culture squarely on the national agenda each year. “These policies should include termination of difficulties facing the industry including the financial aspects including customs and taxes,” he said.

Nabil Obadi, head of the Obadi Center for Studies and Publishing, said that although Yemen is a founder of cultural institutions in the Arabian Peninsula, publishing as an industry did not exist here until the last ten years. “Yemen is missing out on valuable opportunities for gaining skills in the publishing industry,” he said.

The Yemeni Press and Publication Law No. 25 of 1990 places a legal constraint on printing presses. It authorizes the Ministry of Information to close down the press if it deems any material to be out of accordance with the law. This situation scares a lot of investors away from investing in the industry.

It is very important that the Yemeni publishing houses be encouraged to effectively expand and participate in international book fairs to promote Yemeni books and authors both at home and abroad.

The National Library

The National Library Project, to be sponsored by the GAB at an estimated cost of $40 million, has 59 different components, including the creation of a center for manuscripts, special rooms for children, and a number of rooms for symposiums and exhibitions. It will also include a center for studies and research, a unit for electronic books, a center for languages and theater, and a documentary room.

Without concerted and serious efforts on the part of both the government and the general public to promote books and reading by providing the necessary infrastructure for a burgeoning literary industry and literate society, dark ignorance will continue to overshadow enlightenment.

24th International Book Fair

More than 270 local and foreign publishing houses and 14 official publishers from various Arab countries displayed over 500,000 titles during the book fair, held between October 23- November 2 of this year.

As in the previous year, the books were sold at the same prices as in bookstores. “We usually don’t sell as much at the fair as we do in our bookshop,” said Abdul-Hakim Al-Muraibi of the Scientific House. “Most of the people come to the fair to ask for books and publishers so they know where to find them later on. Many people, especially students, do not have that much money to buy the books seen in these publishing houses,” he said.

Book Prices and Purchasing Power

Al-Saqqaf said that during this fair they created a new outdoor “sidewalk area” offering stock books at discounted prices. In general, however, book prices this year were higher than the local purchasing capacity. More than half the country’s population is considered to be below the poverty line, and 16% of the population have Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of less than $1 a day. Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Maqaleh, cultural advisor to the President, told the media that the prices are relatively high this year considering the economic situation of people.

Al-Saqqaf said that many Arab and international publishers were keen to participate in the fair. “Such fairs are good to market and display books. The Sana’a book fair is very important, coming second only to the Cairo International Fair in the Arab world.”

“The Sana’a International Book Fair is one of the most important Arabic book fairs and should not be missed by any Arab publishing houses due to the number of readers in Yemen,” said Rafiq Abdul-Razzaq, owner of the Egyptian Al-Saeedah Children Books Company.

About 270 local and Arab publishing houses and 14 Arab government bodies took part in the exhibition, bringing books on all fields of interest. According to the GAB, more than 1.2 million people visited the fair. Initial reports indicated that the sales value reached YR 1 billion (about US$5 million).

In addition to book sales, a number of symposiums and book-review sessions were held in parallel with the fair, organized in Apollo Company for International Exhibitions.

The fair included a large wing for digital and electronic books compressed onto CDs and DVDs. Many books by foreign writers and publishers were also available, but these were limited and relatively expensive.

Yet many visitors said that the fair was subjected to prior censorship, and believed that this was behind the absence of books on politically sensitive issues such as Shiite doctrine. The shortage of specialized books on women and children literature was commented on as well.

According to the GAB, books on subjects such as the Quran, magic, poetry, and couples' relationships were among the most sold, after religious works. Abdu Hamoud Saeed, a bookseller in an Old City kiosk, said that most of the books he sells throughout the year are those on relationship secrets, sexuality, beauty, and similar topics. “The book fair is an opportunity to buy many of these best-seller books and resell them to our clients,” Saeed said.

Mohammed Al-Asaadi is a Yemeni journalist. His email is: m.alasaadi@yahoo.com.

*Huda Al-Kibsi contributed to this report.

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