The 8th Martyr Herekol Book Fair in Qamishlo is attended by 54 publishing houses and literary institutions. The fair exhibits more than 143 thousand works in Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish and other languages.
The Martyr Herekol Book Fair is organised by the Culture and Art Committee of North and East Syria in cooperation with the Culture Committee of the Jizîr Canton. The first Martyr Herekol Book Fair was opened on 20 July 2017 on the first anniversary of the martyrdom of the fighter and writer Hisên Çawiş (Herekol).
The 8th Martyr Herekol Book Fair opened its doors to visitors on Tuesday with the slogan ‘Let's make reading a way of life’.
The number of books exhibited at this year's fair is quite remarkable. There are more than 143 thousand books in Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani), Arabic, Turkish, English, Russian, French, Syriac, Armenian, French and German languages, including literature, stories, novels, poetry, theatre, research, philosophy, social sciences, politics, thought, history, language, grammar and dictionary, and a variety of children's books.
While 45 percent of the books on display are Kurdish, 25 percent are works by women authors and 40 percent are literary works from North and East Syria. The fair attracts significant regional and international interest. 54 publishing houses, libraries, literary centres and local institutions from Kurdistan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Belgium, the UK, Egypt, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the fair.
The opening ceremony, which took place at the Zana Hall in Qamishlo, was attended by literary institutions, intellectuals and important political and social structures. The event was widely attended by representatives of Kongra Star, Assembly of Martyrs' Families, Democratic Union Party (PYD), Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) and Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The fair was opened by Xedîce Ferhan, the mother of the revolutionary writer Martyr Herekol (Hisên Şawîş). In her speech, Xedîce Ferhan welcomed the guests and said, “I am here to keep alive not only the memory of my son Herekol, but also the memory of all martyrs.” After her speech, she sang a klam (ballad) for the mothers of martyrs.
Murhef Fehed, Co-Chair of the North and East Syrian Cultural Council, said that the fair offered a colourful atmosphere with the culture of the region and emphasised that they aimed to make reading a way of life.
Firyal Çolî from the organising committee of the fair stated that the preparation process took place under difficult conditions. Çolî said, “We have been meticulously preparing for this fair for more than three months. This year, the participation rate is higher than last year and 25 percent of the works are by women authors.”
After the speeches, Cizre Canton Assembly of Martyrs’ Families presented the photograph of Martyr Herekol to the fair.
North and East Syrian book lovers, intellectuals, writers, literary figures and representatives of the Autonomous Administration organisations visited the book fair and bought books to read on the first day of the 8-day fair, which will be open from 10.00 to 20.00 every day and can be visited until 22 October.
