Arab book fairs: a major “embarrassment” for foreign goods and an even greater “embarrassment” for Arab culture

Abstract

This work reviews Arab book fairs in terms of being a culture and industry that still seems new to the Arab world, and has not yet taken its proper place among the Arab citizen, even though for some it is considered a large “forest” of goods, which has expanded to cover completely distant things. About the main subject of the exhibition (the book), which causes great “embarrassment” to Arab culture! The work examines the names of Arab book fairs and their affiliation, as well as the timings of their presentation, indicating the time periods for each fair, along with its total area. The work also talks about Arab book fairs, including the fact that they are; Whether it was an exhibition or a book market. The work also addresses some of the major problems and challenges facing our Arab book fairs, such as problems of illiteracy, the weakness of the publishing industry, the absence of the reader industry, and the censorship and confiscation of some publications. The work concludes with a set of ideas and proposals aimed at improving the form and content of our Arab book fairs.