DESPITE the huge turnout at the recent Riyadh International Book Fair, on an average Arabs read only a quarter of page per year, according to the latest UN figures. The figures reveal an acute reading crisis across the region, with the average person failing to read even one full page of text in a year. At the same time, sales of books at the Riyadh Fair totaled millions of riyals. Attendance at the book fair is a temporary phenomenon, covering only ten days each year and it means we don't look at books on a daily basis. How do the sales of books at major bookstores compare with sales of other stationary items and electronics? We have to make up this shortfall by establishing permanent book exhibitions and special souks at prime venues with associated services, such as galleries, contemporary art institutes, coffee shops, in a similar way as it is Al-Bujairi district in Al-Diriyah in Riyadh. We can also explore establishing a permanent souk for second-hand books, so that books can circulate more and people can take advantage of them in a similar pattern as the Southbank Book Market in London and similar markets in other European capitals. In the Muslim world there are examples, as in the mural paintings of Uzbekistan that illustrate the content of old books that are out of print, and in Baghdad books are available at cheaper price in Al-Mutanabbi street. Of course, there are second-hand book stores in various districts of Riyadh. If these books are collectively stored and displayed at Al-Bujairi district, together with new editions of well-known books in both Arabic and English, it would create an appropriate cultural environment for book lovers, and enable them to have easy access to books throughout the year. People in most advanced countries in the world consider books as part and parcel of their daily lives, just like food. But even in these countries, both the authorities and publishers are concerned about falling rates of reading, and so they use all possible ways and means to foster reading habits among their populations. At the same time, we have not made any major headway in our reading habit over the last several decades, and this is clearly evident in the UN report. This is the case not only with regards to the span of time we set aside for reading, but also the number of books printed, published, or translated. We are satisfied with allotting ten days for books a year, and then we altogether forget about reading for the rest of the year. The most fascinating element of the Riyadh Book Fair was the long queue of female visitors at the fair. Social media celebrated the pictures of these queues of book-lovers. It made us feel special that we have somehow contributed to a new generation of readers. When a mother becomes a reader, subsequently her children will be introduced to bookstalls to buy books, and will eventually lead to the emergence of a whole new generation of readers over the coming decades. I am not sure whether these women attend book fairs simply out of their passion for reading or if they are in search of something that gives them satisfaction while facing the tough moments in their daily lives. Renowned Arab poet, Gibran Khalil Gibran, once pointed out that nobody can win over a woman who finds real enjoyment in reading a book or poem or song or in making a cup of coffee. In short, whatever may be the objective of a woman with her reading, it is a good and exemplary example for her children, and that will eventually lead to the creation of a new generation of readers.
