In its 26th edition, the Algiers International Book Fair celebrated the experience of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), who devoted his life to the struggle against the apartheid system.
The exhibition – in which 1,283 publishing houses participate – is held in honor of African culture, as exhibitors and intellectuals from 61 countries, including 19 African countries, participate in it. It also provides the latest literary, scientific and other publications.
The exhibition – held under the slogan “Africa Writes Its Future” – organized a meeting to honor Mandela’s legacy of struggle and his humanitarian personality, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death, in which writers, academics and intellectuals reviewed what they described as the exceptional path of this great fighter committed to justice, freedom and reconciliation.
Algeria International Book Fair🇩🇿, an opportunity for researchers and reading lovers. Where are 1,283 publishing houses competing, in addition to the Palestine Pavilion 🇵🇸 and pavilions belonging to various state institutions, including the Supreme Council for the Arabic Language?#Algeria_International_BookFair#Algeria #Naval_Pine_Club #Mohammadia # exposed #book #Palestine #sila26 #2023 pic.twitter.com/Hxye3RtKa3
— 𝐁𝐌𝐀 Ⓜ️ (@BeyMohamedAmine) November 1, 2023
During the meeting, philosophy professor Professor Al-Hajj Songdi Diouf from Senegal confirmed that Nelson Mandela represented a leader who – through his struggle for the just causes of peoples in Africa – embodied universal human values, especially reconciliation and coexistence, noting Mandela’s commitment to the rights of the oppressed and the struggle of African peoples for freedom.
For his part, Algerian university professor Ben Odeh Al-Badaei – a specialist in African literature during the colonial and post-colonial period – considered that the Algerians’ struggle for independence was a great source of inspiration for Mandela, and reviewed his visions and his path of struggle in the African National Congress Party and his struggle against violence in his country, noting That Mandela had an “acute sense” of respect for others.
In turn, Mexican anthropologist Veronica Gonzalez Laporte explained that Nelson Mandela’s struggle for racial reconciliation (blacks and whites) and democracy made him a global figure in the fight against racism and the most popular leader of the twentieth century.
As for the Cameroonian novelist and publisher Victor Boadejo, he touched on the “militant” path of Mandela, who was committed from a young age to defending the rights of the oppressed.
🔴Algiers 🇩🇿 International Book Fair 2023: Honored #Nelson Mandela Pioneer of the struggle against the regime #Apartheid.
🔗 https://t.co/wqxQF6gE5T pic.twitter.com/zNByHxvV3Y— Radio Algeria international Radio Algeria International (@radioalginter) November 2, 2023
In an intervention during this meeting, the Cultural Attaché of the South African Embassy in Algeria, Legodi Koboro Bernard, praised the struggle of the anti-apartheid leader, stressing that Mandela was an “inspiration” to fighters around the world for freedom from colonial control and oppression. He also pointed out that Algeria is one of the countries that supported Nelson Mandela in his struggle against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Mandela – the first president of South Africa after the fall of the apartheid regime – was one of the biggest defenders of Palestinian liberation in international political forums.
In addition to celebrating Africa, the Governor of the Algiers International Book Fair, Muhammad Iqrib, said earlier that the exhibition is witnessing a special cultural program in solidarity with Palestine and its proud people through the creation of special spaces for everything related to Palestinian literature and culture. The exhibition created the “Gaza Space,” which included Lectures, seminars, forums, and poetry evenings, in addition to the “Tassili” space, which hosts seminars and spaces related to everything related to Palestinian literature and culture in general.
It is noteworthy that the Algeria International Book Fair, in its 26th edition, will conclude on the fourth of November.
