The Algiers International Book Fair (SILA) opens its doors today for its 26th edition with a strong theme: “Africa is writing its future”. This book fair, considered the largest in Arab and African countries, highlights the African continent as a guest of honor.
More than 1,200 publishers from 61 countries, including 18 African, are present at this major cultural event. This year, SILA gives a central place to Africa and devotes several round tables to emblematic personalities of the continent, such as Nelson Mandela on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death, or Frantz Fanon, major figure of anticolonialism.
The show also aims to celebrate the heritage and common history of African countries, by highlighting themes such as Sufism during a specific conference. He also does not fail to emphasize the importance of digitization in the world of publishing.
In the current geopolitical context, SILA grants a special place to Gaza and Palestinian literature, which is inseparable from the resistance of this people. A day of solidarity with Gaza will be organized by the show to show support for this region.
However, a shadow hangs over this edition of SILA. The writer and 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature, Annie Ernaux, invited by the French Institute of Algiers, was ultimately unable to participate in the show due to her visa refusal. This refusal could be linked to a column that she co-signed to defend freedom of opinion and the press in Algeria, as well as to her support for journalist Ihsane El Kadi, currently imprisoned. This gesture sparked reactions of disappointment and indignation from several Algerian intellectuals and journalists.
In short, the Algiers International Book Fair 2023 highlights Africa and offers a diverse program with round tables on notable personalities, a day of solidarity with Gaza and reflections on the digitalization of publishing . However, the refusal of a visa for Annie Ernaux recalls the issues surrounding freedom of expression and the press in Algeria. SILA, despite these controversies, remains an unmissable event for lovers of reading and culture.