The launch of the 9th Amed (Diyarbakır) Book Fair, scheduled to take place from October 18 to 26, was held at the Amed Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DTSO). Representatives from numerous institutions and publishing houses attended the event.
Delivering the opening remarks, DTSO Chair Mehmet Kaya called on the public to participate in the fair and said: “In Diyarbakır, the fair has turned into a cultural festival that attracts significant participation. Despite the ongoing crisis in the publishing sector, we witnessed a strong turnout last year. This year, we have again received many applications. There will be talks, book signings, and exhibitions depicting the history of Diyarbakır. We invite our people to attend the event, which will take place between October 18 and 26.”
205 applications
General Director of the TÜYAP Fair Organization Inc., Ilhan Ersözü spoke later. Ersözü said: “We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this event possible. We are delighted to be in Diyarbakır. Last year, we received 115 applications; this year, that number has risen to 205. Our authors will hold book signing events, and there will be 60 different panels and discussions. Participants will also be coming from Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. We expect more than 200,000 visitors. We invite all our people to join us.”
City of culture
Chair of the Turkish Publishers Association, Kenan Kocatürk, drew attention to the bans imposed last year and said: “The importance of living together on these ancient lands is immense. This city is a city of culture. It should be transformed into a multilingual cultural center. If there are duties we must fulfill to increase and spread Kurdish-language works, we are ready to do so. We will also take steps to ensure that Kurdish-language books are published in other languages. The fair is taking place with the level of participation expected for the region. Our leading publishers will be present here. It is important for readers to have access to books, and we will continue working toward that. Kurdish-language books must be included in the Ministry’s libraries. The Ministry must also take steps to distribute books freely. There must be initiatives to ensure a free environment where books are not banned. The difficulties experienced last year must not be repeated this year. It is also crucial to remove the obstacles preventing imprisoned authors from reaching their readers.”
Obstacles must be removed
Co-chair of the Kurdish Publishers Association (YEW KURD), Hakkı Boltan, said: “This fair held in Amed plays a significant role in the development of the Kurdish language. Publishers and writers have a vital place in advancing Kurdish language and literature. We will continue our struggle to create an environment where works can emerge freely, under conditions of democracy and liberty. The obstacles standing before Kurdish literature must be removed. Books written in prison are still being blocked or denied publication. At fairs held in western cities, stands featuring Kurdish-language works are subjected to fascist attacks. Even books that are not banned are confiscated. We experienced this during last year’s fair. This year, a network of solidarity and resistance must be established to prevent such incidents. We expect a strong participation.”