Eritrea’s first National Book Fair is being held this week in the country’s capital, Asmara. The fair, attended by Eritrean authors, publishers and booksellers, is intended to promote reading and literature in a country where, after 30 years of war, books are considered an expensive luxury. Many schools have no books for their pupils, the country’s only two public libraries are in Asmara and the handful of bookshops which exist offer a very limited range. “There is a shortage of books but als...read more
Eritrea’s first National Book Fair is being held this week in the country’s capital, Asmara. The fair, attended by Eritrean authors, publishers and booksellers, is intended to promote reading and literature in a country where, after 30 years of war, books are considered an expensive luxury. Many schools have no books for their pupils, the country’s only two public libraries are in Asmara and the handful of bookshops which exist offer a very limited range. “There is a shortage of books but also little awareness of reading, especially in the countryside,” said Arefaine Tecle, a school librarian and member of the fair’s organising committee. “Our main objective is to promote literature, to tell people that reading is good for them and that it is fun. We also want to make readers aware of indigenous books and authors.”