The delightful aroma of olives was so potent, it eclipsed the scent of old books that filled the place, while the white with black stripes scarf was fluttering like a flag announcing freedom and the claim over the land.
Here, in the Palestine Pavilion at the Cairo International Book Fair -which its 55th edition was concluded yesterday, Tuesday- “Our Children are Not Just Numbers” banner was raised, in reference to the martyrdom of 7,000 children as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Each country has its own pavilion in Hall 1, and Palestine’s was full with visitors checking the banners written on them the martyrs’ last words, such as “Soul of my soul” and “the children died before they get to eat.”
Hadil Qudowa, Palestine Pavilion Supervisor at the bookfair, said, “this year, we received here so much support and compassion, that’s why we chose Our Children are Not Just Numbers as our slogan, for it is important to document the lives of these children and how they were targeted and died because of the genocide.”
Hadil clarified that there are books about Palestine, its history, and Gaza Strip, also there are screens on which they broadcast the damages inflicted on the cultural sector in Gaza. There are other activities beside books, like painting the flag of Palestine on the children’s faces specifically.
The pavilion’s visitors distinguished themselves by wearing the Palestinian scarf, among them are Jihad and Shaimaa, two friends you came to the book fair specifically to visit the Palestine pavilion, wearing backpacks with the design of Palestine flag, “I decided to wear this particular bag to the book fair as it is a distinctive cultural event, and there is no more important platform to support Palestine than this, I hope I could do more for Palestine,” said Jihad.
As for Shaimaa, she said, “since the war, I have been interested in supporting the Palestinian cause, especially boycotting brands supporting the occupation, so I came to visit the Palestine pavilion, which exhibits books about its history and the Palestinian’s right to their land.”
Publish houses also played their role in supporting Palestine; Mohamed Salama, administrator in one of the publishing houses supporting Palestine, said that their publishing house offered a 50% discount on books concerning the cause, encouraging visitors to read about Palestine; they also donated part of their revenues to Palestine.
The Palestine pavilion attracted the land owners, for not only Egyptians were present there, but Palestinians as well.
Khadija Mohamed, 42 years old, from Khan Yunus, has lived in Egypt for two years now; she and her siblings were scattered between Egypt, Turkey, and Germany. What unites them is their love for reading, which their father instilled in their hearts since they were children living in Palestine. That’s why she waits for the book fair every year, and she tries to buy her children simple books and comics about Palestine.
“Palestine is in my children’s hearts, they do not remember living there vividly since they left when they were very young, that’s why I use the bookfair where many publish houses are gathered to find books about home, teaching them that we have a land that one day we will go back to,” said Khadija.
Nada Bahaa, a Palestinian, took her children to the book fair also; they have been living in Egypt for three years now, and despite their sadness for losing 20 of their family members in this war, they insisted on going to the Palestine pavilion and buying books about their homeland.
Nada dreams that the next book fair would be in Palestine, and the cultural sector would return to its golden days; libraries were bombed in Gaza, and you can find books only in the West Bank, that’s why she wishes Palestine would have such important cultural events.
