Coexistence is the theme of the 12th Hargeysa International Book Fair which will be running July 20-25 in Somaliland
An announcement on the Hargeysa Book Fair website explains,
Throughout the annals of history, all the conflicts for which humanity has paid in millions of human lives and immeasurable destruction of properties have been based on suspicion and hostility engendered by differences in creed and culture. Sadly enough, no continent in our planet today seems to be totally free from the scourge of political and ideological conflict. Albeit in varying degrees, the plight of war still remains a major concern of all countries in our boastful era of unimagined advancement in science and technology. That is why we zealously hold the principle of Peaceful Coexistence as the most cherished and practical idea for bringing together peoples and nations at variance in their political ideologies and national traditions to live in lasting peace and harmony. The same applies within intrastate and interstate social conflicts.
Guest of Honour Egypt, the announcement continues,has a special place in the minds and living memory of the people of Somaliland. The future prospects of both countries also seem to be equally entangled.
Despite the huge numerical difference in population and potentiality, yet the two countries share similar histories in that both are bound by the Islamic religion, they have experienced the rules of the Turks and later the British in the past century. Both occupy geopolitical strategies; Egypt at the Northern entrance of the Red Sea, and the people to people interaction is millennia old, with Somaliland located at the Southern post. Moreover, giving praise where it is due, there is hardly any country in the African continent in which Egypt has not left its marks in the spheres of education, politics, arts or culture. In Somaliland, the majority of our foreign educators and foreign health professionals are Egyptian, while global appreciation for Egyptian scholarship and academia in general is evident.
Very little to disagree with there, but sadly the announcement was short on information about the actual book fair.
Hopefully we’ll learn about the Hargeysa Book Fair via social media as the event’s launch gets closer.
Follow the Hargeysa Book Fair on on Facebook and on twitter: @HIBF
