The 10th Diyarbakır Book Fair, organised by TÜYAP Fairs in cooperation with the Publishers Association of Turkey and with the support of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has opened its doors. The fair, which will welcome visitors at the Mesopotamia International Fair and Congress Centre from 26 September to 4 October, is bringing together 125 publishing houses and institutions. The programme will include book signings, talks and panel discussions.

The opening ceremony was attended by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak, DEM Party Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair Gülşen Özer, MPs, district municipality co-mayors, DBB Deputy Chief Executive Muhabbet Erdoğmuş, heads of departments, council members, representatives of civil society organisations and many residents.

Co-Mayor Bucak: “Diyarbakır is a city that nurtures differences and diversity”

Speaking at the opening, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak highlighted the city’s publishing potential and diversity, saying:

“The city’s publishing landscape shows why the city needs different, alternative and more diverse fairs. We can nurture all these differences through events of different sizes, whether small, medium-sized or on a larger scale. That is the kind of city we already are; it is in our hands to nurture our differences and emphasise our diversity.”

“We aim to expand our practices of solidarity”

Pointing out, however, that identifying something and drawing attention to it does not always mean taking action, Co-Mayor Bucak said:

“We need policies and initiatives that will strengthen this aspect of our city. As Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, we aim to expand and multiply our practices of solidarity with all stakeholders in the city, representatives of the private sector and the publishing world.”

Writer Murat Özyaşar and the importance of literature

Referring to writer Murat Özyaşar and his works, Co-Mayor Bucak highlighted the city’s long-standing connection with literature, saying:

“This morning, I was thinking about what I should say at the fair. Of course, if a book fair is being held in a city and people working in the literary world have emerged from the heart of that city, they will have very valuable things to say about it. Because writers form connections with the city. They develop connections that we do not see or notice in everyday life. This time, I came across a very young writer from Ergani: Murat Özyaşar. I shared something by Murat Özyaşar this morning, and then I went to Sur, where I came across Murat Özyaşar again. Despite his young age, he has produced works of great value. There is a very important piece in his book Aslı Gibidir. He describes what it is like to live in Diyarbakır; he talks about its streets, his childhood in Bağlar and on İstasyon Avenue, and then he says: ‘Diyarbakır is the city of the poet Ahmet Arif, who said, “Hit me, go on, hit me; I don’t die easily…”’ It is the city of Hicri İzgören, who said, ‘They ask me for my identity at every street corner, so I open my wound and show it to them.’ Murat Özyaşar also says: ‘To live in Diyarbakır means thinking about the Middle East in the morning and the Middle East again in the evening. It means living in a place where the word karaşın, meaning dark or dark-skinned, finds its true equivalent.’”

“May it contribute to social dialogue”

Co-Mayor Bucak expressed her hope that the passages she quoted would contribute to social dialogue and peace, and thanked everyone who had contributed to organising the fair. Saying, “I shared these quotations so that they may encourage all of us to think and discuss, and so that each of us, from our own position, may contribute to the successful conclusion of the democratisation and peace process we are going through,” Co-Mayor Bucak added that continuing to produce here despite all the difficulties, adverse circumstances and economic hardships was a way of demonstrating the value of Diyarbakır and what makes it a unique city.

Following the opening ceremony, Co-Mayor Bucak and those accompanying her toured the fair and met with publishers and residents.