STORY: Annual Book Fair Enters Third Day

DURATION: 4:39
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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LANGUAGE: SOMALI/ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 15/AUGUST/2018, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, An establishment shot of the Book Fair with some participants
registering their names on arrival
2. Med shot, participants registering their names
3. Med shot, the participants inside the hall
4. Close up shot, the Mogadishu book fair logo
5. Wide shot, participants visiting various book stalls
6. Med shot, participants reading some of the books on display at the book fair
7. Close up shot, books written in arabic language
8. Close up shot, books written in Somali language
9. Med shot, books written in Somali language
10. Wide shot, youths reading books
11. Wide shot, a panel discussion at the fair
12. Med shot, Mohamed Diini, Mogadishu Book Fair Organizer, Mahdi Guled Khadar,
Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Abdirahman Omar Osman, Mayor of
Mogadishu at the book fair
13. Close up shot, a guest reading one of the books
14. Med shot, a guest reading one of the books
15. Med shot, Somali youths at the book fair
16. Wide shot, participants at the book fair
17. Close up shot, a participant listening
18. Med shot, participants listening
19. Med shot, Mahdi Guled Khadar, Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister speaking at the
opening ceremony
20. Close up shot, a student listening
21. Med shot, students listening
22. Med shot, Somali youths listening
23. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Mahdi Guled Khadar, Deputy Prime Minister of the
Federal Republic of Somalia
“Knowledge should be our guiding principle; we should use our minds creatively.
Writing, reading and literary competition, and presentation of ideas leads a society
towards development.”
24. Close up shot, Mahdi Guled Khadar, Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister and
Mohamed Diini, Mogadishu Book Fair Organizer speaking
25. Close up shot, youths listening
26. Med shot, Mahdi Guled Khadar, Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Mohamed
Diini, Mogadishu Book Fair Organizer cutting a cake
27. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohamed Diini, Mogadishu Book Fair Organizer
“I think this is going to be something great for the parents and children because
ultimately what the Book Fair is all about is to promote literacy, reading not just for
school but reading for fun, reading for pleasure, promoting anything that is related
to knowledge, scholarship and uniting authors and professors and poets and
playwrights, Somalis and non-Somalis, giving them a chance to network, benefit
from each other so that it will contribute, as I say every year, to the building of the
new Somalia that will be better tomorrow than today.”

28. Med shot, Hassan Gedi Santur, novelist, journalist and writer speaks to one of
the participants
29. Close up shot, Hassan Gedi Santur
30. Close up shot, a participant
31. Close up shot, a copy of Hassan Gedi Santur’s book entitled “Mediterranean”
32. Med shot, copies of the Mediterranean
33. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hassan Gedi Santur, Novelist, Journalist and Writer
“As a writer I feel nothing is more important than writing and reading for the culture,
for the civilization of a nation. So instead of fighting and disagreeing with weapons
to be able to disagree and share perspectives through language, through ideas, I
think is the basis of any thriving nation. I think this is going to go along way to
helping that and building a more prosperous democratic society.”

34. Med shot, books

35. Close up shot, Halima Hassan Tacshiir a first time author
36. Close up shot, Halima’s book
37. Wide shot, Author Halima explaining to a participant the content of her book
38. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Halima Hassan Tacshiir, Author
“This book fair has encouraged young people who were skeptic about writing to
start putting their ideas together and write.”

39. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Dr. Shafie Sharif Mohamed, Writer

“Mogadishu Book Fair is the yearly meeting hub of Somali writers. This is the forum
where people from all walks of life present their ideas and gets feedback from
experts or people with more experience. It also gives Somali youth a chance to get to
see thousands of books which are not available anywhere else. It is a good
opportunity for the youth, as well as for the writers.”

STORY

Annual Book Fair Enters Third Day

Mogadishu, 17 August 2018 - Thousands of book enthusiasts have thronged the
annual Mogadishu Book Fair, which opened its doors to the public on Wednesday.

The three-day literary festival, which ends today, has brought together writers,
scholars, authors, intellectuals, poets, musicians and other literary giants from
Somalia and the diaspora.

More than 36 guests and twenty renowned poets from the Middle East, Asia,
Europe, North America, the East and Horn of Africa region are attending the three-
day festival.

About fifty (50) new titles are on display at the Book Fair, while more than two-
thousand books on 178 different topics are being exhibited.

While officially opening the annual fair on Wednesday, Somalia’s Deputy Prime
Minister Mr. Mahdi Guled Khadar, underscored the importance of inculcating a
culture of reading in the country.

“Knowledge should be our guiding principle; we should use our minds creatively.
Writing, reading and literary competitions, as well creative ideas, are a prerequisite
for development,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

For the first time in its history, the Mogadishu Book Fair has introduced a reading
tent for children. At least 80-children are attending the fair and interacting with
storytellers and writers of children’s books.

“I think this is going to be something great for the parents and children because
ultimately what the Book Fair is all about is to promote literacy, reading not just for
schooling purposes but reading for fun, reading for pleasure, promoting anything
that is related to knowledge, scholarship and uniting authors and professors and
poets and playwrights, Somalis and non-Somalis, giving them a chance to network,
benefit from each other so that it will contribute, as I say every year, to the building
of the new Somalia that will be better tomorrow than today,” said Mohamed Diini,
the fair’s organizer.

Somali - Canadian novelist and journalist Hassan Gedi Santur is exhibiting at the fair
for the first time. His anthology of short stories called ‘Mediterranean’ gives a look at
the African migration crisis and the perilous journeys through the Mediterranean, in
search of a better life abroad.

“As a writer I feel nothing is more important than writing and reading for the culture,
for the civilization of a nation,” said Hassan.

“So instead of fighting and disagreeing with weapons; to be able to disagree and
share perspectives through language, through ideas, I think is the basis of any
thriving nation. I think this is going to go along way to helping that and building a
more prosperous democratic society,” he added.
A first time author Halima Hassan Tacshiir says the Book Fair has inspired her to
write more. “This Book Fair has encouraged young people who were skeptics about
writing, to start putting their ideas together and write a book,” remarked the young
writer.

Renowned writer Dr. Shafie Sharif Mohamed described the Book Fair as a meeting
hub of creatives. “Mogadishu Book Fair is the yearly meeting hub of Somali writers.
This is the forum where people from all walks of life present their ideas and gets
feedback from experts or people with more experience. It also gives Somali youth a
chance to get to see thousands of books which are not available anywhere else. It is
a good opportunity for the youth, as well as for the writers,” he said.

The fair is another demonstration of the atmosphere of peace and stability being
enjoyed in Somalia, as a result of gains made on the security front. The presence of
the AU troops in the Horn of Africa country has ensured progress in the security,
political and socio-economic fronts.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), is committed to working with the
Somali security forces, to spur growth and continue providing an environment where
similar activities can take place.

END