Hargeysa International Book Fair, celebrating literature in Somaliland

August 30, 2016 2:18 PM

This year, Somaliland is celebrating its silver jubilee (though there are concerns and disappointments), and recently held its 9th annual Hargeysa International Book Fair in the (unrecognized) country's capital. The theme this year was leadership, and its connection to art, culture, and creativity. HIBF is the biggest annual event in Somaliland, drawing 11,000 attendees this year, it's an advertisement for a republic that showcases itself as a kind of "anti-Somalia."

... Whereas Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, is beset by terrorist attacks, Hargeisa is peaceful. You can drink tea in an outdoor cafe until three in the morning because of strong community policing.

Organized by the Redsea Online Culture Foundation, the main goal of the festival is to promote a culture of reading and writing in the region by producing and publishing high quality Somali literature and translating international classical literature (including fiction, poetry and drama) into Somali.

There is a surprising scarcity of Somali literature on leadership, and the book fair will provide a unique opportunity to explore how art, poetry, plays and songs have represented and shaped the collective imagination of good leadership in Somaliland. While the traditional stories of Cigaal Shiidaad and Cilmi Boodheri have exemplified the values of cowardice and love for generations of Somalis, are there similar narratives about leadership?

This year's events were kicked off with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Saad Ali Shire welcoming attendees from across the region and around the world.

Last year, young women poets and writers opened the stage, sharing their experiences, in a panel looking at spaces for future generations.... In talking about being role models, Yasmin Kahin, a playwright and poet, feels that she and the other young Somaliland women are the first generation of female writers.

In 2014, The Economist's Baobab blog covered the event, calling it "An inspiring book fair, a raft of challenges," looking ahead at what the future might bring to Somaliland.

posted by filthy light thief (5 comments total)

Thanks for this post! I've been a Somaliland fan for years, and have never understood why everyone pretends it doesn't exist. I mean, Taiwan isn't an "official country" either.
posted by languagehat at 3:20 PM on August 30, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanks! What a cool place.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:48 PM on August 30, 2016

Would love to visit.
posted by PHINC at 2:21 AM on August 31, 2016

Speaking of Hargeisa and fiction: The Great Hargeisa Goat Bubble, a classic of economic fiction from 2003.
posted by acb at 3:36 AM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have never understood the world community's collective aversion to fostering small stable democracies.
posted by ethansr at 1:33 PM on August 31, 2016 [2 favorites]