Arab Writers Are Worried

With less than six months left to prepare for the Frankfurt Book Fair, where the Arab League will feature as this year's guest of honor, many Arab writers are beginning to doubt the fair will be a success. Nelly Youssef reports from Cairo.

How far along is the Arab League with its preparations for the Frankfurt Book Fair? Will the Arab states prove once again to be "masters of the missed opportunity"?

Though anywhere from 100 to 150 Arab writers are supposed to be invited to Frankfurt for discussions and readings, so far the names of the participating authors have yet to be released. Many Arab writers worry that the Arab League's presentation will end in fiasco.

Financial and organizational problems

One of them is Jamal al-Ghitani, an internationally-known Egyptian author who has had several books translated into German: "At the moment there is no cause for optimism: with the exception of Morocco, the Arab states have all been approaching the matter from their own individual perspectives, instead of regarding Arab culture as a unified whole.

There are financial problems as well, because the total of three million euros promised by the Arab League and the Arab Ministries of Culture is not yet available."

Moreover, he points out, it was agreed that twenty books would be translated into German, but the titles have yet to be determined. Now time will probably be too short to translate them.

Retreat is better than failure

Al-Ghitani does not question whether the Arab League is the right negotiation partner for the Germans, given the impossibility of dealing with 22 separate states.

It should not be forgotten, however, "that the Arab League is an official organization. This may mean that important representatives of Arab culture who live in exile and have no contact to their governments will not attend the Book Fair."

"If Arab culture is not adequately represented at the Book Fair, however, an honorable retreat would unquestionably be better than a weak performance that could do great damage to Arab culture. As it is, the world already associates this culture solely with oppression, terror and contempt for women's rights. There is no need to do even more damage with a poor showing at the Book Fair."

"To be or not To be"

Ibrahim al-Muallim, chairman of the Arab Publishers' Association, agrees that Arab culture is equated worldwide with terrorism, fanaticism and intolerance. For that very reason, he believes, the Book Fair is a good chance to correct this image. The organizers are making great efforts to achieve that goal: for the Arabs the question at hand is "to be or not to be".

However, al-Muallim is not quite as pessimistic as Jamal al-Ghitani. Though acknowledging problems with the financing and the stalled preparations, he emphasizes that the culture ministers of the different countries are now doing everything in their power to make the event a success.

Salwa Bakr, an Egyptian writer with a certain following in Germany as well, urges the Arabs to overcome the individualism and egotism that only encourages self-preoccupation. In her view, the Arabs must forget their political disputes and join forces on the cultural level.

A Commemoration of Arab pioneers

Salah Fadl, an Egyptian critic and writer, has been commissioned by the "Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization" (Alecso) to compile a book on great Arab thinkers, celebrating their role in making an Arab contribution to civilization.

The aim is to provide a positive alternative to the image of an Arab culture of terrorism. The book will appear in Arabic and German and will be presented free of charge to visitors to the Arab pavilion at the Book Fair.

Translation from German: Isabel Cole