Asean, China big at S'pore World Book Fair

THE 22nd World Book Fair pulled in about 700,000 visitors during its recent 10-day exhibition at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Sicec) at Suntec City, ending last Sunday, June 3.

The Fair, organised by the Chinese newspapers division of the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Marshall Cavendish Business Information, incorporated the 22nd World Chinese Book Fair, World English Book Fair, and World Electronic Book Fair. The event was supported by the Ministry of Education, the National Library Board, and various newspaper divisions and publications of the Singapore Press Holdings.

Also supporting for the first time were the Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA) and the newly formed Asean Book Publishers Association (ABPA). The ABPA Pavilion was represented at the World Book Fair from Indonesian Book Publishers Association (Ikapi), National Book Council of Malaysia (NBCM), Philippine Educational Publishers Association (Pepa), Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat), Vietnam Association of Publishers, Printers and Distributors (VAPPD), Brunei Darussalam's Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, and Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA).

The exhibitors were housed in nine different pavilions marked by hanging signages, namely the Asean Book Publishers Pavilion, Chinese Books Pavilion, English Publishers Pavilion, Education Pavilion, Teachers Resource Pavilion, the Religion and Philosophy Pavilion, Children Education Pavilion, Electronics and Software Pavilion, and Stationery and IQ Toy Pavilion.

Together they showcased some 80,000 items from more than 200 exhibitors from 11 countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and Brunei Darussalam.

Exhibits like the showcase of various writing methods and publications of minority Chinese tribes like the Tibetans, Turks, Kazakhs, Chagatays, Mongols, and the Manchurians, and a pavilion especially for children drew in the crowds.

A book publisher's conference and seminar were also held as part of the ongoing programmes of the fair. Readers also got up close and personal with authors and publishers at the Authors/Readers Interaction Corner and a Stage Activity Area.

For the first time in 2007, the National Secondary Schools Xiang Sheng Competition was held at the fair. Student contestants honed their public speaking skills in front of a live audience. There was also a daily Mathematics show for children and students by Math Teach. The fair also hosted the Singapore-Malaysia Primary Schools Bilingual Olympiad, featuring debates between Nanyang Girls' High, Thumbs Up, and Besta International, three top schools in Singapore and Malaysia.

Also present were the Language and Literature Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of Brunei, and the State Mufti's office of Prime Minister Office of Negara Brunei Darussalam. The latter, presenting extensive publications on various Fatwas or religious edicts issued by the State Mufti's office spanning almost four decades, were well-received by Muslim visitors, but much of the crowd passed by unnoticed.

The Fair also coincided with the PC Show at the same venue, with crowds switching between both exhibitions to take advantage of the double fairs, and partly also, taking a breather at the Book Fair from the massive gate crash at the PC Show. With booths by Fo Guang Shan Singapore, Sahaja Yoga Singapore, Stiftung Gralsbofschaft Publishing Co, and the large section of the Supreme Master Ching Hai Association, many were seen viewing video presentations on meditation, motivation, and spirituality after being exhausted from the packed crowds of the two fairs.

"I came here just for the PC Show", said Edwin Yeo, 32, from Malaysia who took a breather at the Sahaja Yoga booth. "I know it's going to be crowded up there (at the PC Show), so coming down here and watching the videos help cool me down a bit."

Over the years, the event has given local exhibitors the opportunity to work more closely with overseas publishers, who in turn bring a wider range of books into Singapore than have ever been brought before.

Student Viknesh Bharatta, 20, from India, who attended his first book fair here, was more impressed with the crowd than the books on display. "The crowd is expected," he said, "like in Delhi, but I think the book fair isn't that satisfactory. It's pretty much a Chinese book fair here. I was hoping for much more books by well-known international publishers."

Agreeing with him was Ahmad Salleh, 36, who came with his wife and two sons. "They should call this World Chinese Book Fair instead!" he said with a laugh. "But seriously, at least my wife and I like the children's and electronic books section," he added.

True enough, this year saw perhaps the biggest number of Chinese books on display, as were bargain books that went for as low as $1.

"You know, I got this Complete Works of Shakespeare for $9!" said Leo Teong Boon, 24, waving the thick book and pointing to the cover. "Where can I get this? Only (at) the book fair. Otherwise, I could only dream of getting it at this price." His friend, KC Seah, 24, claimed he bought four travel books and three language books at $3 each. "If not the Library sale, I come here," he said, referring to the annual bargain book sale organised by the National Library Board.I remembered that in earlier World Book Fairs there were participation from a renowned Sufi bookstore in Singapore, Wardah Books, and also another stall managed by Iskandar Abdullah, an Arabic language teacher, who showcased quite an extensive selection of Arabic books. Unfortunately this year's fair lacked their participation and was generally poor in its representation of religious books, especially on Islam.

Sadly, what was consistent, as in previous fairs, was the participation of the "Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission" — a sect that originated in Qadian, India, under the leadership of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and is universally denounced by Muslims as heterodox. Known as Ahmadis or Qadianis, these people are not considered mainstream Muslims by any means and all orthodox Muslim scholars consider their belief to be outside the pale of Islam.The Brunei Times