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The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) yesterday announced the launch of the third edition of the Eitsalat Prize for Arabic Children's Literature, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF).

The AED1 million Prize is awarded each year to the best Arabic children's book, with 50 percent of the prize money going to the winning publisher, and the remaining 50 percent being divided between the author and illustrator as per the decision of the Jury, which comprises experts in the fields of children's literature and publishing of children's books This year's winner will be announced during the Sharjah International Book Fair in November 2011. Entry is open to Arab and international publishing houses that are dedicated to producing Arabic-language books for children up to 14 years of age.

UAEBBY President Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi said that the launch of the 2011 Eitsalat Prize for Arabic Children's Literature was scheduled to coincide with the cultural extravaganza accompanying ADIBF.

Speaking of the importance of the award, Shaeikha Bodour said, "The key aim of the Etisalat Prize is three-fold: to support and promote the children's book industry in the Arab world, to encourage creativity and innovation among publishers, authors, illustrators and professionals in the field of Arabic children's literature, motivating them to keep up with children's literature on the global stage, and to improve the overall quality of children's books, in terms of both form and content".

She underlined the important role played by UAEBBY, which has succeeded, through the Prize, in continuing to produce the highest quality literature, and to promote Arabic children's literature.

"We are proud of the remarkable development the Eitsalat Prize for Arabic Children's Literature has undergone over the past couple of years, and we pledge to ensure that it continues to develop over the years to come until Arabic children's literature enjoys the status it deserves," she added.

Sheikha Bodour referred to the transparency and high level of professionalism embraced by the Jury when selecting entries - something that has added significantly to the Prize's value, and serves as an incentive for participants to produce the best children's books. Jury selection is kept strictly confidential, and no members are named until a winner has been announced.

She also praised Etisalat's commitment to supporting children's books through sponsoring this prize, in line with the firm's leading role in development of the UAE and boosting humanitarian and cultural projects, which reflects its high level of community awareness and corporate social responsibility.

Abdul Aziz Taryam, Etisalat's General Manager: Northern Emirates, said that the Prize puts Etisalat's vision and commitment into action by promoting Arabic children's literature and culture, as well as laying a strong foundation of literary works and encouraging reading among youngsters.

In order to qualify for entry, books must comply with the 17 terms and conditions, which include: the book must be written in Arabic; must be original (not translated, quoted or reproduced); and must have been published within the past three years. The book may not have received any previous local, regional or international awards, and the content must not violate the values, traditions and customs of Arab communities. Entry is open to children's books that target the age group from 0 to 14 years, and each publishing house is entitled to nominate a maximum of three titles.
The UAE Board on Books for Young People
P.O. Box 5424, Sharjah, UAE
Tel.: +9716 5542111
Faz: +9716 5542345
Email: info@uaebby.org.ae

Deadline: 29 July 2011

This year’s prize is for translation from Arabic to English

The Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize was launched in 2010 as part of Harvill Secker's centenary celebrations. It is an annual prize, which focuses on a different language each year, with the aim of recognising the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers. For the 2011 prize Harvill Secker has teamed up with Foyles, and the prize is kindly supported by Banipal. This year’s chosen language is Arabic, and the prize will centre on the short story ‘Layl Qouti' by Mansoura Ez Eldin.

Egyptian novelist and journalist Mansoura Ez Eldin was born in Delta Egypt in 1976. She studied journalism at the Faculty of Media, Cairo University and has since published short stories in various newspapers and magazines: she published her first collection of short stories, Shaken Light, in 2001. This was followed by two novels, Maryam's Maze in 2004 and Beyond Paradise in 2009. Her work has been translated into a number of languages, including an English translation of Maryam's Maze by the American University in Cairo (AUC) Press. In 2010, she was selected for the Beirut39, as one of the 39 best Arab authors below the age of 40. Her second novel Wara’a al-Fardoos (Beyond Paradise) was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arabic Booker) 2010. She was also a participant of the inaugural nadwa (writers’ workshop) held by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and was a mentor at the second nadwa in October 2010.

The winning translator will receive £1,000, a selection of Harvill Secker titles and Foyles tokens.
How to enter

Deadline for entries: Friday 29th July 2011

You must be between 18 and 34 years of age on the submission deadline. For further terms and conditions please see the entry form.

Download and print the entry form here (you will need Acrobat Reader to do so)

Download or print the Arabic text here (you will need Acrobat Reader to do so)

Simply send your completed entry form with your translated text to the postal address provided on the entry form. Please note that we are unable to consider entries submitted by email.

If you have any queries, please contact us on: youngtranslatorsprize@randomhouse.co.uk

The judges

Anthony Calderbank (translator)

Anthony Calderbank has been a translator of Arabic literature since the early nineties. He has translated a number of Egyptian novels including Rhadopis of Nubia by Najib Mahfouz, Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim, and The Tent, Blue Aubergine and Gazelle Tracks by Miral Al-Tahawy, and two novels by Saudi author Yousef Al-Mohaimeed, Wolves of the Crescent Moon and Munira’s Bottle. His translations of short stories include a collection by Nubian writer Haggag Hassan Odoul entitled Nights of Musk: Stories of Old Nubia, and have appeared in a Palestinian collection edited by Nur and Abdulwahab El Messiri entitled Land of Thyme and Stone.

He has contributed to a number of anthologies of modern Arabic Literature including Unbuttoning the Violin (Banipal 2006), the collection Madinah, edited by Joumana Haddad (2008), and the Beirut 39 project. He has also translated numerous pieces for Banipal Magazine. In 2010 he translated an excerpt from Abdo Khal’s novel Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles, which went on to win the Arab Booker Prize.

He has spoken on translation and translation theory at international conferences and cultural gatherings and has conducted translation workshops for the British Council and the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature. His translation of Yousef Al-Mohaimeed’s novel Wolves of the Crescent Moon was shortlisted for the 2010 Jan Michalski Prize. He has lived in the Middle East for many years and is currently based in Riyadh Saudi Arabia where he is Deputy Director of the British Council.

Maya Jaggi (journalist)

Maya Jaggi is an award-winning cultural journalist and an influential critic on international literature. Her arts profiles in the Guardian Review over a decade are credited with enhancing understanding of world writers, from Günter Grass, Umberto Eco and Jose Saramago to Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrison and Mario Vargas Llosa – as well as British figures such as Jeanette Winterson and Sir Tom Stoppard. The late critic Professor Edward Said described her interview with him as 'in a class of its own'. Her work has appeared widely in periodicals including the Guardian, Independent, Sunday Times Culture, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Economist, TLS and BookForum (New York), and in books such as Lives and Works, Writing Across Worlds and Women of the Revolution. She contributes to BBC radio (including Radio 4’s Any Questions?, Front Row and Open Book) and television.

She has interviewed 12 Nobel prizewinners in literature – as well as Arab writers including Mahmoud Darwish, Hanan al-Shaykh, Elias Khoury, Alaa al-Aswany, Tahar Ben Jelloun and Amin Maalouf. She has been a judge of literary awards including the Orange prize, the David Cohen, the Caine, the Commonwealth Writers prize and the Saif Ghobash-Banipal prize for Arabic literary translation. She was educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, and is an Associate Fellow of Warwick University and a member of English PEN’s Writers in Prison committee.

Penelope Lively (author)

Penelope Lively was born in Cairo, Egypt and spent her childhood there. She came to England at the age of twelve, in 1945, and went to boarding school in Sussex. She subsequently read Modern History at St. Anne's College, Oxford. In 1957 she married Jack Lively (who died in 1998). They had two children, Josephine and Adam. Jack Lively's academic career took the family from Swansea to Sussex and Oxford, and eventually to Warwick University, where he was Professor of Politics. Penelope Lively now has six grandchildren and lives in London.
Briony Everroad (editor)

Briony Everroad is an editor at Harvill Secker, where she publishes authors Jo Nesbø, Karin Fossum, and Andrey Kurkov, among others. She studied English literature at University College London and in 2002 began working at Random House. Always keen to explore new languages, she spent a term studying French at the Sorbonne in 2006 and is currently learning Spanish. In 2010 she founded the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize.

Entry Guidelines:

To enter: complete the entry form and submit it with one translation of the story ‘Layl Qouti’ by Mansoura Ez Eldin to the following address:

Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize
Harvill Secker
The Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2SA
England

Note: entrants submitting a joint translation must complete and include separate forms in the same envelope.

1. T&Cs – By entering this competition you agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. Entrants – This competition is open to anyone aged 18 to 34 years on 29th July 2011 except for employees of Harvill Secker (‘promoter’), Foyles, their families or any other company connected with the competition. The promoter will accept one entry per entrant subject to point 5(c) below. The entrant must not have previously translated (or currently be contracted to translate) more than one full-length work for print or online publication.

3. Dates – Entries must be submitted by Friday 29th July 2011 (‘closing date’). The winning entrant will be notified by telephone in September 2011.

4. Prize – A prize of £1000.00 (one thousand pounds sterling) (‘prize’) will be awarded to the winning entrant.

5. Entry Specifications – Entrants are advised to retain a copy of their translations as the promoter will be unable to return any submitted entry. Each entry must be:

(a) an English translation of the story entitled ‘Layl Qouti’ by Mansoura Ez Eldin (‘story’).
(b) the entrant’s own original work, completed entirely without assistance from professional translators or academic staff. Joint entries involving one translation of the story by a maximum of two translators in accordance with these terms and conditions will be accepted.
(c) submitted as a typeset hard copy with the following specifications: double-spaced, set in 12-point type, with numbered pages and no staples.
(d) Entrants are advised not to include their name on the translation. This is to ensure anonymity.

6. Copyright – The copyright and publishing rights in the story are expressly and fully reserved by Mansoura Ez Eldin. Each entrant undertakes to obtain written permission from Mansoura Ez Eldin before selling, making available or otherwise publishing his/her translation of the story in any form throughout the world.

7. Unacceptable Entries – Entries which do not comply with point 5(c) above, are illegible, submitted electronically, or received after the closing date will not be accepted. The promoter is not responsible for delayed, undelivered or lost entries.

8. Events – Events may occur which render the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the promoter and the promoter may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, or suspend the prize with or without notice.

9. Judges – The competition will be judged by four judges looking for emerging talent and seeking to identify the most faithful translation of exceptional literary quality of the story. The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to their joint or individual decisions or this competition.

10. Winning Entrant – The winning entrant grants the promoter and Foyles all necessary and relevant rights and permissions in relation to the marketing, publicising and publication of the winning entry on www.youngtranslatorsprize.com. The winning entrant agrees to the promoter’s use of his/her name and photograph in relation to any publicity material relating to this competition and the winning entry.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: youngtranslatorsprize@randomhouse.co.uk

For submissions: Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize, Harvill Secker, The Random House Group Limited, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, England

Website: http://www.vintage-books.co.uk, www.youngtranslatorsprize.com

Deadline: 14 February 2011

Comic Relief is inviting tenders from interested parties to undertake a review of the literature on the African Diaspora based in the UK and their role in international development.

Expressions of interest should be sent to: Rupal Mistry at r.mistry@comicrelief.com no later than 14 February 2010.

Purpose and Objective

The primary objective of this consultancy is to provide Comic Relief with a detailed picture of the research undertaken and literature published to date on the African Diaspora in the UK and their role in international development in sub-Saharan Africa.

This consultancy will enable Comic Relief to build a picture of the international development activities of the African Diaspora in the UK and will feed into other elements of the Common Ground Initiative, in particular the communications and advocacy and influencing work. It is intended that this work will form the first phase of a longer study and will provide the basis for the commissioning of a series of more focused studies.

Methodology

The work will be desk based. The consultant will review research and latest evidence from academic, political and non-government sectors, synthesise and critique the findings, and highlight areas requiring further investigation. It is also suggested that the consultant hold short interviews with key informants to build up an understanding of the anecdotal evidence within the sector of the role played by the UK based African Diaspora in international development.

Areas to be explored through the literature review:

* The different ways in which the African Diaspora in the UK are organised, grouped, clustered or networked and whether or not there are any similarities in approaches to development based on typology
* The kind of development related activities African Diaspora in the UK are engaged in - thematic areas of implementation, e.g. remittance, business, service delivery (health, education etc), and the different approaches being used
* The scale of this activity – local or community based, district, national, and specific regions across the continent
* The ways in which they are working with communities in Africa – the types of relationships they build
* The level of engagement that the African Diaspora in the UK groups or individuals have with other stakeholders, communities in the UK and Africa, other NGO’s, governments, policymakers
* Examples of best international practice – in terms of relationships, activities, governance
* The level of interest, engagement and support of politicians and policymakers in relation to the “Diaspora and Development” agenda
* Any specific policy- level changes (both in the UK and in Africa) driven by the African Diaspora based in the UK
* The type of funding that UK based Diaspora entities have accessed

Deliverables

A detailed literature review report (maximum 30 pages, plus executive summary and annexes) structured as:

* Executive summary of key findings and recommendations
* Methodology
* Key Findings –in relation to areas to be explored, what is known, ongoing research and donor initiatives
* What don't we know: information and research gaps, differences of opinion/ current debates
* Implications for Comic Relief and its stakeholders
* Conclusions and recommendations – summary of findings, suggested further actions for donors, practitioners and researchers
* Appendices – List of articles and reports reviewed

The Consultant should submit the final report in both hard copy and electronic versions.

Timeframe

The consultancy will take place between March and May 2011. The draft report should be received by Comic Relief within 30 working days of the commencement of the consultancy with an additional month to receive comments and finalise the report.

Required qualifications and skills

Contractors would need to have:

* Ideally a postgraduate level qualification in relevant discipline
* An understanding of migration and international development
* Experience of working with BME communities in the UK
* Good analytical skills and attention to detail
* Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing

Comic Relief is committed to diversity in all of our contracts and tenders. The successful contractor will be expected to uphold the principles of respect and open engagement throughout their work with us.

Deadline: 1 December 2010

Some of the questions that the panel addresses are:

What defines a work as controversial or subversive, whether in the source Arabic or in the target culture? Are readers' expectations in the source and target necessarily compatible? What types of controversy usually attract western translators and publishers? Do translators sometimes highlight, or exaggerate, controversial aspects in the works they translate? And what strategies do they use in the process? Generally speaking, the controversiality label can add interest to a work translated from any language. How significant is the work's controversial status to its selection for translation from Arabic? Is controversiality a major condition for selection, or only one among others? Has there been any change in recent years toward more attention to the 'intrinsic artistic value' of Arabic literature, rather than its social or political relevance? Conversely, did recent political developments in the Middle East and the West (the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, the rise of fundamentalist movements, the Ghaza conflict), and the ensuing interest in the culture and politics of the Arab World, have any effect on the perception of Arabic literature and the conditions surrounding its translation? How valid are the traditional paradigms of Orientalism and exoticism in understanding current translator choices and audience reactions in Western languages? Does Edward Said's description of Arabic literature as 'embargoed' still illustrate (if it did in the first place) the way Arabic literature is being treated by translators and publishers? Is there a deliberate intent somehow, as Said stated, to 'interdict any attention to texts that do not reiterate the usual clichés about 'Islam,' violence, sensuality and so forth'?

What differences exist between Western countries in the conditions and modes of reception surrounding translations from Arabic? To what extent can Arab institutions, intellectuals, and writers themselves be blamed for deficiencies in translating from Arabic? To what extent can the conditions in which Arabic literature is translated and received in the West be compared to those governing the reception of literary works from other non-European, especially 'Third World,' cultures?

Call For Papers

Panel Title: Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature
Conference: International Federation of Translators XIX World Congress: Bridging Cultures, San Francisco, CA, August 1-4, 2011

Proposal are invited for a panel on 'Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature' at the FIT XIX World Congress in San Francisco, CA, August 1-4, 2011. Arabic literature, declared Edward Said in 1990, 'remains relatively unknown and unread in the West, for reasons that are unique, even remarkable.' Twenty years later, it is hard to say that the situation has remained the same: there has certainly been an increase in the availability of Arabic literary works in several European languages, and more attention is being given to current Arabic literature. Yet, considering the great interest in the West (generated mainly by political events) in Arab and Muslim societies and the remarkable growth in Arabic literature (especially the novel) in recent years, translating and publishing Arabic literature in several Western languages is often seen as nothing less than a gamble. Whether it is their illustrative social value, their exotic appeal, their connection with current trends (as in the case of Naguib Mahfouz, for example), their confirmation of established political views or representations, Arabic literary works often have to give (non-literary) justifications for their existence in Western languages. One very effective pass to translation has been the 'controversial' or 'subversive' status of a work in Arabic. Writings viewed as subverting political, social, and religious establishments or defying moral codes (especially when accompanied by public outcries or bans of different kinds) have usually been given priority by translators and publishers in the West. This panel seeks to explore, from various angles, the translation of works considered controversial or subversive in Arabic. Our aim is to examine the factors influencing the selection of works for translation, the choices and dilemmas facing translators and publishers in the process of transferring the work from Arabic, and the recent developments and current state of the field. We welcome contributions that benefit from recent research in translation studies, especially those engaging critically with traditional paradigms in translation theory or scholarship on Arabic literature.

The submission deadline is December 1, 2010. Presentations should be in English. Please send proposals (maximum 300 words) to Tarek Shamma, United Arab Emirates University, tarek.shammauaeu.ac.ae.

Deadline: 30 June 2011

In continuation of the Literature in Northern Nigeria Conference tradition started in 1989 by Bayero University Kano, it has been resolved that henceforth future conferences will be jointly organized by Bayero University, Kano andKwara State University, Malete, and the venue shall be rotated between the two universities. This year’s edition being the 6th will be hosted by the Kwara State University, Malete. The collaboration is intended to:

a) Enhance the position of the conference as a major intellectual and scholarly destination in Nigeria
b) Aim at helping to achieve intellectual excellence through the high level academic standard of discourse.

This year’s theme shall be on the issue of women, gender, and sexuality and will form the basis of the academic scholarship for this year’s conference. Women as creative writers and as characters in northern Nigeria and their constraints as individuals within a religious and socially conservative society will also be examined in relation to the representations of women issues in the literature and films of contemporary Northern Nigeria. Critical evaluation is expected to be made of the choice of genres, and how writers have applied individual imaginative and instructive emphasis to the treatment of such chosen and selected creative genre by the women creative writers. Furthermore, the role of religion in gender groupings, in the identification of themes and the understanding of characterization in the creative works, will be subjects of discourse by interested scholars. “kannywood” (Kano) movie industry which is predominantly of Hausa content, context, and of northern Nigerian thematic preoccupation inline with the portrayal of women will also be examined. The presentation of women as symbols of the stories and characters or as ‘caricatures’ in the films within northern sociological norms will also be examined. Other themes in the works of the women writers, traditional singers and performers, themes in the works in which women are portrayed such assaranrhya, ‘victimhood in popular culture’, love themes and violence within domestic situations, women in rural communities, politics and women, rural women and global perspectives, women as ethnic, religious and cultural stereotypes and their acceptability by both the reading and viewing audience, will also be discussed.

Sub Themes:

• Women images in popular culture
• Psychology of gendered behaviours in literary works
• Language in northern Nigerian women literature
• Northern Nigerian women literature and political awareness
• Women writers and images of women
• The works of Zaynab Alkali
• Islam, women, literature and films in Northern Nigeria
• Portrayal of women in northern Nigerian Literature
• Imaging of women in northern Nigerian films
• Kannywood and representation of gender issues.
• Women as sexual symbols in northern Nigerian literature
• Women singers and performers
• Women film makers and actresses.
• Women, dance and music in northern Nigeria dramatic performance
• Women themes in traditional oral performances
• Women and religion in northern Nigerian films or literature
• The influence of Western Education on northern Nigerian literature

One page abstracts are invited from interested participants on any aspect of the conference theme and sub-themes, to reach the organizers immediately but not later than June 30th, 2011.

Hotel Reservation : October 10, 2011

Registration: Local Participants: N5,000; Conference Fees: N5,000

International Participants: $100 each.

Send abstract to:

ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng, sakah.mahmud@kwasu.edu.ng, samba.diop@kwasu.edu.ng, lit.northernnigeria@kwasu.edu.ng

CONVENER: Prof. Ahmed Yerima, Dept. of Performing and Visual Arts

CO-CONVENERS: Prof. Samba Diop., Dr. Sakah Mahmud.

DATE: NOVEMBER 29TH- DECEMBER 2ND, 2011.

VENUE: KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY,MALETE, NIGERIA.

THEME: Women in Literature and Films in Northern Nigeria

Contact Information:

For inquiries: ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng

For submissions: ahmed.yerima@kwasu.edu.ng, sakah.mahmud@kwasu.edu.ng, samba.diop@kwasu.edu.ng, lit.northernnigeria@kwasu.edu.ng

Dates: 22 - 26 July 21011

REDSEA-ONLINE Cultural Foundation, in collaboration with other Somaliland cultural organizations, is eager to announce the Fourth Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) which will take place from 22 to 26 July 2011 in Hargeysa.

HIBF is the main cultural event in Somaliland and one of the largest public celebrations of books in East Africa. Every July, HIBF brings writers, poets, artists and thinkers from Somaliland and from all over the world to share and discuss their art and literary productions with the audience. The main aim of the festival is to promote a culture of reading and writing in the country, by producing and publishing high quality Somali literature and translating international classical literature, (including fiction, poetry and drama) into Somali. We aim to enable young people to access a range of cultural heritages; our intention is to stimulate the revival of all forms of art and human expression, including painting, poetry reciting, story-telling, drama composition and of course, writing. The Book Fair is linked to its sister London's Somali Week Festival which takes place in 22-26 October.

HIBF targets not only to young audience, but to a wider sectors of the society, and it aims to help foster cultural understanding, tolerance, democracy, and an appreciation of the diversity of Somali culture and literature. In the past few years, our festivals raised the profile of reading and writing and also the integration in Somaliland of youth from different regions around the country. The main aim of the book fair in fact is to promote critically thinking culture and creative writing, to facilitate the habit of reading, to display books, from both local and writers abroad, to encourage members in the public to browse, read, engage with authors, be inspired to young people, and wider society.

Each year a theme, associated with and relevant to the issues surrounding youth and citizenship, is selected. The overall cultural programme this year will revolve around the theme of “Collective Memory.” Somaliland will be celebrating its 20 years of independence and hence the theme will touch upon events and processes that have shaped Somalilanders’ collective memories of the country. Our aim is to reflect on but also contribute to the creation of a national collective memory, through the arts. The project, this year, aims to produce its own culturally rooted literature on this theme by publishing different books, and to write a monologue drama on Somaliland's recent history: Topics such as the peace negotiation process, de-militarization, democracy and the growth of political parties, will be touched upon. Furthermore, the diversity of individual’s experiences of the new nation-state will also be captured through discussions, testimonies and different artistic genres, thus contributing to the creation of a collective memory.

The theme: Collective Memory

Contemporary usage of the term collective memory is traceable to Emile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) and to his student Maurice Halbwachs (1877 – 1945). Distinct from individual memory, collective memory is shared, passed on and also constructed by a group or modern society to shape their national identity. Parts of the collective memory for a nation can be represented in a physical monument, commemorative symbols, rituals, story-telling or media production, including literary creating, fiction and non fiction production, oral poetry and so on. Both “history” and “collective memory” are publicly available social facts. The difference is, while the classical history is something “dead” and confined to the past, the collective memory is something “alive” and it can be viewed as real or current history hidden in the people’s memories, experiences, testimonies, and human stories. Whilst history can explain the actors and times (who and when) of an event, it cannot capture the original emotion caused by the event. Preserving and archiving collective memory will afford people an opportunity to revisit the event and prolong its presence. We want people of different ages, different backgrounds, writers, thinkers and youth to focus on a common and shared collective memory that creates the foundation of the nation and of a national identity.

The format

The basic idea of the Book Fair is to celebrate and promote the culture of reading and writing, to create a platform where authors and other artists meet their readers and the general audience. We intend to create and facilitate an atmosphere of dialogue where ideas circulate and constructive and educational debates take place. There will be book launching events, readers clubs work presentations, meeting with authors, creative writing lessons, joyful and relaxing moments with Somali lyricists, video-screening, and poetry reciting. There will also be other parallel cultural events, covering other art genres, such as a photo exhibition and an art exhibit showcasing talented young painters in Somaliland. The overall programme will be carefully crafted to stimulate and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds.

CORE EVENTS

• A high profile debate and discussion forum, organized and attended also by young people, is one of the main events of the book fair. These series of debates cut across generations, and each year youth delegations from different regions across the country gather to create a unique forum through which audience and authors meet to exchange thoughts and opinions.

• Another highlight of the cultural program is the presentation of the yearly Sheeko iyo Shaahid literary award, reserved for young short story writers. Whilst this competition is aimed at young people, we have opened it to anyone under the age of 40. We believe some older writers never had the opportunity to develop their literary skills, as the country was at war for 15 years. This year we expect even more participation, based on the trends set in the past three years. Books containing the winning stories of the past years have been published and the event has been created and followed by many young people. The 4th edition of the under-40s short story writers will be launched and an award will be presented to the authors of last year’s Sheeko iyo Shaahid competition. Volume three of the series, comprising the winning stories from last year’s competition, will be distributed to the participants of the 2011 competition, the winners of the previous competitions and all the participants of the 2010 competition.

• HIBF-2011 will introduce the “moving library” tour, which will commence a week prior to the Festival. A bus carrying books and representatives of 9 regional Readers Clubs will tour all major cities in the country prior to the festival (members of these clubs work throughout the year presenting books to local communities). In every city there will be an event in which the readers clubs and the other youth organizations will promote the books, and encourage participants and local citizens to embrace reading as a hobby. There will be “darandoorri” (reading together) sessions in which selected national and international renowned literature will be read by young people e.g., some members of the readers clubs will read excerpts of George Orwell's “Animal Farm” translated by late Mohamed Yusuf Arten and re-published by Ponte Invisibile as well as other books by authors participating on the tour. Books will be distributed to the cities and villages along the routes of this tour, and lyrical composition, specifically commissioned for event, will be performed in every city. After the tour, the regional youth and readers clubs representatives will go to Hargeysa, and showcase their work at the book fair. They will also be asked to make their work relevant to the theme of collective memory.

• Short courses: writing and photography. Due to a lack of adequate training available to young journalists and the new members of the reading clubs we intend to organise short writing courses for those struggling with the language. Our aim is engage a small group of 18 young writers and reporters (1 member from each of the Reading clubs, 5 from Somaliland press and the 12 winners of the Sheeko iyo Shaahid) to provide language, grammar and creative writing workshops. As our idea is to promote different forms of arts among the young people, and to create artistic skills, we identified this year the necessity to promote also skill in photography. Thus, an intensive photography course for 7-10 young people will be also be organized before the book fair. The course attendees will volunteer as photographers of the book fair.

• Book launching. A number of new books published specifically within this year's book festival will be launched and world-renowned authors will be invited. We will also invite and encourage the launch of other new books authored by local writers. Over four days sessions, books will be on display and people will have an opportunity to read, review and purchase books from the publishers/books sellers/authors who may want to take their literary production in the book fair. The books launched throughout the festival will touch on various aspects relating to the theme of collective memory. Exploring experiences both within Somaliland and across the Diaspora, the books will investigate a range of topics including historic events, socio-economic changes, citizenship, identity and modernity and tradition. The programme of the events will include all books that will be launched during the HIBF. If you know about a book suitable to be launched or you are author of one, please contact to the organizers before 1 April 2011 so I can be included into the programme.

• Video screenings. Last year’s video documentation will be screened. The video shows how young people in Somaliland think on about the theme of citizenship. They explained with their own words and definitions.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Opening and closing events with music and poetry reciting. To enhance the books fair's festive and educational atmosphere, poets and lyricists will be invited to entertain the audience in a great festive yet educational event on the opening and closing days. There will be a stage event both in opening and closing day.

• Commemorating Madar: a young and talented painter. Madar Osman was young artist and a teacher, who only last year demonstrated a unique talent. Unfortunately Madar died in a car accident soon after the Hargeysa International Book Fair and Mooge Festival of 2010. This year we will showcase his art production and some of his most interesting works will be displayed during the book fair.

• The Science Awareness Day. The Science Awareness Day is significantly important to Somaliland's development in the long terms. Somaliland needs to move shift its emphasis on manufacturing nation rather than the notion of relying on other nations' gift aids. With the motto "Science for Sustainable Development', the Day hopes to mobilise the energy and resources of the diaspora community to effectively contribute to development of Somaliland.

• Photo exhibition: Somaliland faces. Professional photographers and photojournalists will be invited to display their photographs of the people and the land.

PRE AND POST LITERARY PRODUCTION

A number of books will be published and/or translated into Somali before the Hargeysa International Book Fair, and they will be delivered to Hargeysa in time in order to be launched during the book fair. These include books specifically related to the theme of the year and commissioned by the organizers (see in the programme of events the list of books being published this year).

After the book fair, several materials will be published, including:

o Proceedings book on the Book Fair, including all the papers presented
o Educational material for the Creative Writing course.
o Volume four of Sheeko iyo Shaahid winning stories collection. This competition is a flagship asset for our cultural program, and is intended to inspire the youth to get involved in critical thinking and in composing, storytelling, preserving and participating in Somali culture and arts.
o Audio-visual: A DVD Documentary Film containing the Moving Library Tour, the drama and lyrics produced for the reading promotion, and the major events of the HIBF-2011.

All materials produced during and for the Book Fair, including the documentary film and printed literature, will be presented in our sister Somali Week Festival 2011 in October and then in several other European countries including Denmark (November 2011), The Netherlands (December 2011) and January 2012 (Italy).

Guest of honour country

As in the past years, HIBF will host a guest country by inviting writers and publishers of that country. Literature from and on that country will be displayed during the book fair. For this year’s festival, we are exploring the best option among a set of guest honour countries.

Keynote speakers, guest authors and artists

HIBF-2011 will feature prominent national and international authors, artists and speakers, including Somaliland based authors, diaspora based authors as well as internationally celebrated authors who will present their literature. The invited keynote speakers will be announced soon. In the meantime, the organizers invite all authors and publishers who may want to present their literature to contact them before 1 April 2011. Please send your inquiry to jama@redsea-online.com.

Venue: Guriga Shaqaalaha, Hargeysa, Somaliland.

Event dates: July 22 - 26, 2011

Event hours: 09:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes in the Arab World, announced its winners for the year (2010-2011) .The winners were named in five distinct categories, while four other categories were withheld for this year.

The announcement of winners came after discussions at large between the Award’s Higher Committee and Advisory Council of the results submitted by the judging panels across the Award’s nine Categories. The judges independently evaluated a total of 715 nominations received in this year’s session and submitted their evaluations against a stringent, quantifiable scoring criterion to ensure the decision is truly reflective of their independent and expert views.

The award – carrying the name of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for over 30 years- was established in 2006 to foster greater scholarship and creativity by recognizing and rewarding innovators and thinkers in areas of knowledge, arts and humanities.

The award recognizes cultural achievement across one of the broadest and most diverse areas of any cultural awards internationally. The “Cultural Personality of the Year” honours prominent figures for their unique contributions to the advancement of the Arabic culture, and for works that portray tolerance and promote peaceful coexistence.

“Professor Chung has implemented one of the finest models of cultural dialogue. The Award's Advisory Council decision came in recognition of his generous contribution for more than fifty years in rooting the Arabic language in the Far East, by teaching, translating and researching our region’s culture and literature.” Mr. Al Oraimi elaborated. “His translations and writings preserve the essence of our literature across continents, only wrapped in a different language.”

Chung is the author of the 'History of Arabic Literature' encyclopedia, which comprises 1140 pages in two volumes. He currently works in various capacities, among which are Professor of Arabic Language in the University of Peking, head of Chinese Society for Arabic Literature Studies, vice president of the Culture Committee at the China-Arab Friendship Association, member of the Chinese Writers Association, and honorary member of the Arab Writers Union. He has also translated major works of iconic Arab novelists including Kahlil Jibran, Naguib Mahfouz, and Ih’san Abdul Quddus.

The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year Award will receive a prize of one million Dirhams (around 272,242 US$, 215,007 Euros), a gold medal bearing the Sheikh Zayed Book Award logo, and a certificate of merit.

Winners in the Award’s other categories will receive around US$ 204,182 (Euros 161,255), a gold medal and a certificate of merit.

The 2011 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Winners as per the Judges results succeeded for the below reasons:

1. Best Contribution to the Development of Nations – Dr. Abdel Raouf Sinno from Lebanon for his book “Harb Lubnan 1975-1990”. The Award’s Advisory Council’s decision came in recognition of the value of the book as an accurate resource on the historical era of Lebanon from 1975 through 1990, providing an in-depth scientific analysis of the socio-economic circumstances leading to the disintegration of the country’s structure, culture and economy.

2. Best Book in Literature: Dr. Mohammad Miftah from Morocco, for his book “Mafaheem Muwasa’a Li Nazaryah Shi’ryah” - comprises of three Volumes. The Award’s Advisory Council’s decision came in recognition of the immense value of the author’s work, combining descriptive, analytical and exploratory methodologies in one scientific study of linguistics, music and psychology, in an attempt to establish a theory that links poetry to mysterious forces of the universe.

3. Best Book in Translation - Dr. Mohammad Ziyad Kibbeh from Syria, for his book “Al Tharwah wa Iqtisad Al Ma’rifah” - Translated from “Revolutionary Wealth" by Alvin and Heidi Toffler, Random House 2007. The translated reference offers solutions to critical contemporary quandaries which the winning translator has successfully communicated using excellent language while preserving the essence of the original script.

4. Children’s Literature – Afaf Tabbalah from Egypt, for her book “Al Bayt Wal Nakhlah”. The winning book was named a sophisticated diversion from the children’s literature “mainstream”. It explores the inner worlds of children, in a masterful story-telling style, leaving ample room for the young readers to view their surroundings in light of they read.

Meanwhile, awards for “Young Author”, "Fine Arts”, “Publishing and Distribution”, and “Best Technology in the Field of Culture” were withheld for this session. “This year’s nominations in these categories did not meet the Award’s stringent standards and the Advisory Council opted to withhold them as a result.” Al Oraimi explained.

The winner will be announced at the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Grand Ceremony to be held in The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on March 16, 2011, parallel to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Deadline: 1 May 2011

The General Secretariat of King Faisal International Prize is pleased to announce nomination for the 1433H / 2012G King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Arabic Language and Literature in the topic:

COMPUTER PROCESSING OF THE ARABIC LAGUAGE: INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ENDEAVORS

CONDITIONS:

1. Nominations should be from universities, research centers and other learned circles. Nominations are also accepted from previous winners of King Faisal International Prize. Nominations are not accepted from individuals or political parties.
2. Nominated works must be published, benefit mankind and enrich human knowledge.
3. Dissertations are not accepted.

REQUIREMENTS FROM EACH NOMINEE:

1. A typed curriculum vitae of each nominee with a list of his/her publications.
2. One original or high quality photocopy of each nominated paper. The total number of nominated papers should not exceed 10.
3. Six copies of each nominated book and/or book chapter. The total number of nominated books and/or book chapters should not exceed 6.
4. One high resolution color photo of each nominee (10 X 15 cm).

Nomination documents and nominated works will not be returned

REQUIREMENTS FROM NOMINATING BODY:

1. An official letter of nomination for each nominee separately, adequately justifying the nomination and outlining the nominee's achievements in the prize field.
2. A list of nominated works.
3. A general information form filled by the nominee; this form can be duplicated if more than one candidate is nominated.

PRIZE COMPONENTS:

1. A certificate written in Arabic calligraphy, describing the work for which the winner is awarded the Prize.
2. A Commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medallion.
3. SR 750,000 (US$ 200,000).

REMARKS:

1. Nominations are judged exclusively on the basis of merit, regardless of nationality, race, religion or gender.
2. Any nomination not fulfilling all conditions and requirements shall be excluded.
3. More than one nominee may share the Prize.
4. The decision of the Prize's Selection Committee is final.
5. Winners will be announced in Safar 1433H occurring January 2012G and honored at an official ceremony later in Riyadh.
6. All the required documents must be received no later than Sunday 27 Jumada I 1432H occurring May 1 2011G at the following address.

Please send nominations by airmail to the following address:

The General Secretariat
King Faisal International Prize
Al-Khairia Building, King Fahd Road
P.O. Box 22476 Riyadh 11495
Saudi Arabia

Contact Information:

For inquiries: KFIPinfo@kff.com or call +(966-1) 465 2255

For submissions: The General Secretariat, King Faisal International Prize, Al-Khairia Building, King Fahd Road, P.O. Box 22476 Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia

Website: http://www.kff.com/

Announcement of shortlist: 24 March 2011
Announcement of winner: 29 April 2011

The 25-title fiction longlist for the 2011 Best Translated Book Awards was announced this morning at Three Percent—a resource for international literature at the University of Rochester. According to award co-founder Chad W. Post, this year’s longlist is a “testament to the number of high-quality works in translation that are making their way to American readers, thanks to a number of talented translators and exciting publishing houses.”

Featuring authors from 19 countries writing in 12 languages, the list highlights established authors alongside newcomers. Agaat by South African writer Marlene Van Niekerk made it to the longlist.

“Not only is this a collection of the year’s most important and compelling books in translation, it’s a list of high quality books that deserve readers’ attention,” said fiction judge Monica Carter. “These books represent a global perspective that that, due to the dedication and talent of the translators, can open up the world to readers of English. The Best Translated Book Awards serve the world literature community of writers, translators, and readers in a way that no other award can.”

Founded in 2007 with the goal of bringing additional attention to international works of literature, the Best Translated Book Awards are one of the only awards in the country honoring original works in translation. Selection criteria include the quality of the work itself, along with the quality of the translation. All original translations (not retranslations or reprints) published between December 1, 2009, and November 30, 2010, were eligible.

This year’s set of judges consists of Monica Carter (Salonica), Scott Esposito (Conversational Reading and Center for the Art of Translation), Susan Harris (Words Without Borders), Annie Janusch (Translation Review), Matthew Jakubowski (writer & critic), Brandon Kennedy (bookseller/cataloger), Bill Marx (PRI’s The World: World Books), Michael Orthofer (Complete Review), and Jeff Waxman (Seminary Co-op and The Front Table).

The award itself has grown greatly over the past few years. Beginning as an online-only event, the Best Translated Book Awards now feature an awards ceremony and a $5,000 cash prize—awarded to each winning author and translator, thanks to the support of Amazon.com.

The 10-title fiction shortlist will be announced on Thursday, March 24th, concurrent with the announcement of the finalists for the poetry award. Winners will be announced on April 29th in New York City, as part of the PEN World Voices Festival.

More details about the awards ceremony will be made available in coming weeks. In the meantime, Three Percent will highlight a book a day from the fiction longlist, with pieces written by translators, reviewers, and editors about the individual qualities of each title, and “why it should win.”

The 2011 BTBA Fiction Longlist:

Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk, translated from the Afrikaans by Michiel Heyns (Tin House)

To the End of the Land by David Grossman, translated from the Hebrew by Jessica Cohen (Knopf)

Touch by Adania Shibli, translated from the Arabic by Paula Haydar (Clockroot)

The Literary Conference by César Aira, translated from the Spanish by Katherine Silver (New Directions)

The Golden Age by Michal Ajvaz, translated from the Czech by Andrew Oakland (Dalkey Archive)
The Rest Is Jungle & Other Stories by Mario Benedetti, translated from the Spanish by Harry Morales (Host Publications)

A Life on Paper by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, translated from the French by Edward Gauvin (Small Beer)

A Jew Must Die by Jacques Chessex, translated from the French by Donald Wilson (Bitter Lemon)

A Splendid Conspiracy by Albert Cossery, translated from the French by Alyson Waters (New Directions)

The Jokers by Albert Cossery, translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis (New York Review Books)

Eline Vere by Louis Couperus, translated from the Dutch by Ina Rilke (Archipelago)

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky (New Directions)

The Blindness of the Heart by Julia Franck, translated from the German by Anthea Bell (Grove)

Hocus Bogus by Romain Gary (writing as Émile Ajar), translated from the French by David Bellos (Yale University Press)
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal (New York Review Books)

The Clash of Images by Abdelfattah Kilito, translated from the French by Robyn Creswell (New Directions)

Bad Nature, or With Elvis in Mexico by Javier Marías, translated from the Spanish by Esther Allen (New Directions)

Cyclops by Ranko Marinković, translated from the Croatian by Vlada Stojiljković, edited by Ellen Elias-Bursać (Yale University Press)

Hygiene and the Assassin by Amélie Nothomb, translated from the French by Alison Anderson (Europa Editions)

I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson, translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund and the author (Graywolf Press)
A Thousand Peaceful Cities by Jerzy Pilch, translated from the Polish by David Frick (Open Letter)

The Black Minutes by Martín Solares, translated from the Spanish by Aura Estrada and John Pluecker (Grove/Black Cat)

On Elegance While Sleeping by Emilio Lascano Tegui, translated from the Spanish by Idra Novey (Dalkey Archive)

Microscripts by Robert Walser, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky (New Directions)

Georg Letham: Physician and Murderer by Ernst Weiss, translated from the German by Joel Rotenberg (Archipelago)

The 2010 Winner: Humphrey Davies for his translation of Yalo by Elias Khoury

The 2010 Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, the fifth year of the prize, is awarded to Humphrey Davies for his translation of the novel Yalo by Elias Khoury, published by Maclehose Press in the UK.

Humphrey Davies is also a runner-up this year for his translation of Sunset Oasis by Bahaa Taher, published by Sceptre, UK and recently nominated for the 2011 IMPAC Prize. The Arabic original of Sunset Oasis won the inaugural 2008 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Both Yalo and Sunset Oasis were long-listed last year for the 2010 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

A further runner-up is Kareem James Abu-Zeid for his translation of Cities without Palms by Tarek Etayeb, published by Arabia Books, UK.

The 2010 judges were author Margaret Drabble DBE, writer, translator and Professor of Comparative Literature at Warwick University Susan Bassnett, translator of contemporary Arabic literature of Georgetown University Elliott Colla, and on behalf of the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature Yasir Suleiman, Professor of Modern Arabic Studies and Head of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge.

The Winner

Humphrey Davies for his translation of Yalo by Elias Khoury

On being told the news, Humphrey declared: “I’m over the moon. To win the Banipal Prize two-and-a half times in five years is indeed a signal honour.”

Elias Khoury was equally thrilled and told Banipal: “Congratulations to Humphrey. It is great that he has won the prize twice, and both times I have had the honour of accompanying his achievements with my two novels.”

Maclehose Press publisher Christopher MacLehose added: “It will give the author as much pleasure as it does his publisher that Humphrey Davies should have been awarded this distinguished prize for his second successive translation of Elias Khoury's work. The award recognises a remarkable partnership and will give a welcome prominence to the fiction of an exceptional writer as also of his invaluable collaborator.”

Elias Khoury

In the fifth year of the prize, by coincidence, the names of both the winning translator and the author are the same as those of the first year – Humphrey Davies won the inaugural 2006 prize for his translation of Elias Khoury’s Gate of the Sun (published 2005). In 2000 Humphrey Davies published his first literary translation in Banipal magazine, a short story in Egyptian colloquial, “Rat”, by Sayed Ragab. Then came Thebes at War by Naguib Mahfouz (2003), Alaa Aswany’s best-selling The Yacoubian Building (2004) and his short stories Friendly Fire (2009), Ahmed Alaidy’s Being Abbas el Abd (2006), Gamal al-Ghitani’s Pyramid Texts and Hamdy el-Gazzar’s Black Magic (both 2007), Mohamed Mustagab’s Tales of Dayrut (2008) and Khaled al-Berry’s Life Is More Beautiful Than Paradise (2009), all originally for the pioneering AUC press. He has also edited and translated the Ottoman-era work Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded by Yusuf al-Shirbini (Leuven: Peeters, 2004 and 2007). Bahaa Taher’s novel Sunset Oasis won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction’s first prize in 2007 and Humphrey Davies was chosen as translator. This year Maclehose Press will publish another novel by the Khoury-Davies team, As Though She Were Sleeping (due May 2011). Also forthcoming translated by Humphrey Davies is the sequel to Mourid Barghouti’s I Saw Ramallah (Bloomsbury 2011), and Naguib Mahfouz’s Midaqq Alley (AUCP 2011).

US readers who want to read Humphrey Davies's translation of Yalo will probably have to buy it from outside the USA since the US edition, published by Archipelago Press, is translated by Peter Theroux. This edition was shortlisted for the 2009 US Best Translated Book Award.

Banipal 40 – LIterature from Libya will include reviews of two novels by Elias Khoury in English translation – Yalo and White Masks. Click here for Banipal magazine's home page to join the email listing and receive news of Banipal 40's publication in March.

Runner-up: Humphrey Davies for his translation of Sunset Oasis by Bahaa Taher

Runner-up: Kareem James Abu-ZeidKareem James Abu-Zeid for his translation of Cities without Palms by Tarek Etayeb

On being told the result, Kareem James Abu-Zeid said: “It’s a real honor for me to be selected as one of the runners up, especially since this was the first novel that I have translated.”

Kareem Abu-Zeid has translated works by poets from Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq and is currently translating Eltayeb’s sequel to Cities Without Palms, The Palm House (AUC Press 2011) as well as The Far-Off Call (AUC Press 2012) by Libyan novelist Ibrahim al-Koni.

Born into an Egyptian American family, Kareem Abu-Zeid has lived an itinerant life around the Middle East, the US, and Europe. He received his BA from Princeton University in 2003 in French and German Literature, and was a Fulbright Research Fellow in Germany as well as a CASA Fellow at the American University in Cairo. He has taught language, literature and philosophy courses in Arabic, French, German, and English at UC Berkeley, the University of Heidelberg, and the University of Mannheim, and is currently doing a PhD on the intersections of modern Arabic poetry, mysticism and continental philosophy at UC Berkeley’s department of comparative literature. He lives in Oakland, CA.

Deadline: 1 May 2011

The General Secretariat of King Faisal International Prize is pleased to announce nomination for the 1433H / 2012G King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Arabic Language and Literature in the topic:

COMPUTER PROCESSING OF THE ARABIC LAGUAGE: INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ENDEAVORS

CONDITIONS:

1. Nominations should be from universities, research centers and other learned circles. Nominations are also accepted from previous winners of King Faisal International Prize. Nominations are not accepted from individuals or political parties.
2. Nominated works must be published, benefit mankind and enrich human knowledge.
3. Dissertations are not accepted.

REQUIREMENTS FROM EACH NOMINEE:

1. A typed curriculum vitae of each nominee with a list of his/her publications.
2. One original or high quality photocopy of each nominated paper. The total number of nominated papers should not exceed 10.
3. Six copies of each nominated book and/or book chapter. The total number of nominated books and/or book chapters should not exceed 6.
4. One high resolution color photo of each nominee (10 X 15 cm).

Nomination documents and nominated works will not be returned

REQUIREMENTS FROM NOMINATING BODY:

1. An official letter of nomination for each nominee separately, adequately justifying the nomination and outlining the nominee's achievements in the prize field.
2. A list of nominated works.
3. A general information form filled by the nominee; this form can be duplicated if more than one candidate is nominated.

PRIZE COMPONENTS:

1. A certificate written in Arabic calligraphy, describing the work for which the winner is awarded the Prize.
2. A Commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medallion.
3. SR 750,000 (US$ 200,000).

REMARKS:

1. Nominations are judged exclusively on the basis of merit, regardless of nationality, race, religion or gender.
2. Any nomination not fulfilling all conditions and requirements shall be excluded.
3. More than one nominee may share the Prize.
4. The decision of the Prize's Selection Committee is final.
5. Winners will be announced in Safar 1433H occurring January 2012G and honored at an official ceremony later in Riyadh.
6. All the required documents must be received no later than Sunday 27 Jumada I 1432H occurring May 1 2011G at the following address.

Please send nominations by airmail to the following address:

The General Secretariat
King Faisal International Prize
Al-Khairia Building, King Fahd Road
P.O. Box 22476 Riyadh 11495
Saudi Arabia

For inquiries, please contact above address or:

Tel: +(966-1) 465 2255
Fax: +(966-1) 465 8685

E-mail: KFIPinfo@kff.com

Between the Lines: July 11-25, 2011

For the fourth year in a row, the International Writing Program, in cooperation with the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (IYWS), will host the Between the Lines (BTL) program. Twelve young writers from Arabic-speaking countries, aged 16-19, will be invited to the University of Iowa, where they will participate in writing workshops, visit local sights, and deepen their understanding of the United States through interactions with fellow students and the community. Workshops will be led by teachers who are respected writers in their own right.

Accommodations are in Currier Hall, a dormitory within easy walking distance of the Writers’ Workshop, the International Writing Program, and other UI sites. Boys and girls reside in separate areas under the supervision of adult chaperones.

Participating students will have their travel, room/board, and most cultural expenses covered.

BTL is sponsored through grant funds provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department.

The Curriculum

Workshops

Just about every writing program offers some variation of the workshop; it is the only way a writer can get direct feedback from his or her readers. Workshopping is not writing by committee. Instead, constructive criticism helps a writer to see his/her work through the eyes of good readers. The text for this class is the writing that students generate. Workshop inevitably precipitates in-depth, thoughtful meditations on what it is that writers do. Instructors ensure that workshops present a supportive environment. In BTL, students participate in two workshops: one in Arabic and one in English. In the English-language workshop, students will learn alongside their American peers.

More Daily Activities

Structure is a writer’s best friend. Each day begins with Morning Reports, a chance to make sure everyone is up to speed, to announce readings, and to cover logistics. The Studio occasionally hosts speakers during this meeting.

* Every morning students get together to write as a group. Instructors will introduce favorite writing exercises.
* Evening activities include visits and readings with established writers and trips to interesting places around Iowa City. There is at least one featured literary activity each night.

Iowa City, Iowa

With a literary pedigree rivaling that of Chicago and New York, Iowa City is home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Nonfiction Writing Program, as well as the International Writing Program, the Playwrights’ Workshop, the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and the Center for the Book. That’s quite a resume for a town of 60,000. To see how much Iowa City values its writers, all you need to do is stroll down its main street, Iowa Avenue, and look at the Literary Walk, a series of bronze relief panels that honor 49 writers with ties to Iowa, including Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O’Connor, and Rita Dove. This is a busy, picturesque college town with several coffee houses, movie theaters, a mall, and shops to visit. It should come as no surprise that in 2008, the United Nations Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) named Iowa City the world’s third City of Literature, joining Edinburgh, Scotland, and Melbourne, Australia.

Visiting writers will give informal talks and presentations about the craft of writing and the writing life. Staff will organize outings to local attractions, plays and concerts. The Writers’ Workshop and Prairie Lights Bookstore offer their own reading series, which provide alternate readings several times a week.

Housing

The Residence Hall

Participants live in Currier Residence Hall. Stately, newly-renovated, but traditional, Currier is located on a tree-lined street near the heart of the University’s campus. Some of its amenities include courtyard, several lounges, laundry rooms, vending machines, a pool table and game room, a grand piano, and – most importantly – a spacious new computer lab. The residence hall and its surroundings are well lit. Currier’s doors are locked each night and university security officers make regular rounds of each floor. Each student room can be locked from the inside. A Residence Hall Coordinator is available 24 hours a day.

Chaperones and Counselors

Students are escorted to and from a designated city by adult chaperones who are fluent in both Arabic and English. These chaperones act as Arabic-speaking liaisons between the students and the BTL and IYWS staff. They also work with the IWP on BTL-related projects, and attend an Iowa Summer Writing Festival class of their choice.

During the session, adult, university-trained counselors live on each floor. They are there to listen to students’ concerns, solve problems that may arise, and help ensure the safety of every BTL and IYWS student. They are also writers themselves, and can give writing advice and foster a strong sense of creative community.

Rules

In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable living experience, there are a number of rules that all BTL participants must follow. Some of these rules are:

1. Smoking and/or the use of alcohol or other illegal substances is strictly prohibited.
2. Nightly room checks and morning roll call are mandatory.
3. Students must be on their hall by 10:30 pm.

In order to participate in BTL, all participants, as well as a parent or guardian, must sign forms indicating that the participants have read the rules and will agree to live by them during the residency.

Chicago, Illinois

BTL participants will spend July 23-25 in Chicago, where they will have a chance to apply some of what they’ve learned during their time in Iowa City. One of the great American cities, Chicago has a wealth of cultural and artistic resources to explore, and never more than in the summer, when fairs and festivals occur almost every weekend. Students will participate in at least one writing workshop while there.

Questions and Answers

Who teaches the classes?

Workshop leaders are professional writers; their work is published in literary magazines and many have books published or under contract. They are also experienced teachers, both at the high school and college level. They are selected based on their knowledge, teaching ability, and enthusiasm. IYWS instructors are required to hold, or to be within one year of completing, master’s degrees in fine arts, which is the degree required to teach creative writing at the collegiate level in the United States.

Is college credit given for participating in BTL?

BTL does not offer college credit for any of the classes.

How are students admitted?

Embassies in Middle East countries are responsible for providing the International Writing Program with a pool of qualified applicants. Each applicant must provide the following:

* 7-8 pages of prose and/or poetry written in Arabic
* 7-8 pages of prose and/or poetry written in English
* A one-paragraph personal statement (in English) describing why they are interested in participating in BTL.

International Writing Program staff and BTL faculty will review the writing samples and personal statements and then choose 12 students from the pool of all qualified applicants.

For more information on BTL, contact:

Kecia Lynn, BTL Coordinator
International Writing Program
Shambaugh House
430 N. Clinton
Iowa City, IA 52245
319-384-3296
kecia-lynn@uiowa.edu

Specific call for applicants from the US Embassy in Algeria can be found here, and from the US Embassy in Libya here.

Deadline: 1 March 2011

We want to inform you that applications are now open for the IRSCL Research Grant. Early career scholars from the field of children's literature (up to five years since their Ph. D.) are welcome to apply for the Grant. They must be IRSCL members. See further information on how to apply at the IRSCL website (http://www.irscl.com/grants.html).

Please circulate this notice to any children's literature scholars who may be interested in applying.

Please send email applications to Helene Ehriander, before March 1, 2010. Contact details are as follows:

Email: helene.ehriander@lnu.se

We will inform successful applicants by mid-April, 2011.

The IRSCL Research Grant

The Research Grant of US $1,000 encourages research by early career scholars in children's literature. Applications are welcome from postgraduate students or early career researchers. It is necessary to be a member of the IRSCL to apply for the grant. Eligible activities include literary, historical, cultural, sociological, empirical and pedagogical research.

Applications should include a clear outline of aims, methodology, budget allocation, and expected outcomes. Applications are invited every two years.

Research Grant Guidelines

Applications are welcome from any postgraduate students or early career researchers in the field. It is necessary to be a member of the IRSCL to apply for the research grant. Applications should include a 1000-word description of the research project, and the following information:

* Name and title, Address, Telephone, fax, email
* Name of applicant's institution
* Whether the research project is being undertaken as part of current postgraduate studies.
* Supervisor of the applicant's research project (where applicable).
* Names and addresses of one academic referee. Please include telephone and fax numbers, and email address. Previous academic record: qualifications at tertiary level, when and where obtained. Applicant's previous publications in children's literature (where applicable).
* Title of the research proposed for the IRSCL Grant.
* Aims of the research.
* Methodology
* A brief summary of research already carried out on the topic with reference to key researchers. How the project will contribute to previous work.
* Budget showing how the applicant will use US $1,000 and brief justification of budget items.
* Expected outcomes of the project: planned publication(s), names of journals to which papers(s) arising from the research will be submitted.

Travel Grants

Prior to IRSCL Congresses, applications are invited for travel grants of not more than US$1,000 each to be awarded to IRSCL members in need of financial assistance to attend the Congress. Applicants are asked to send a brief summary of their recent research activities, a budget (including estimated travel expenses, accommodation, meals and registration fees) that clearly states any other source of travel support. Applications are confidential.

Deadline: 30 April 2011

CALL FOR PAPERS: Transnational Laughter – Contemporary Film and TV Comedy across National Borders

I am seeking proposals and contributions for a collection of original essays entitled Transnational Laughter: Contemporary Film and TV Comedy across National Borders. As the first edited volume of its kind, Transnational Laughter seeks to expand the field of media studies and shed light on overlooked areas of academic interest, taking comedy and its various subgenres (including black comedy, improv, modern slapstick, the romcom, satire, scatological humor, sketch comedy, spoofs, stand-up, and so forth) as vehicles through which to assess the international transit of these specific cultural forms over the past 25-30 years. Focusing on recent industrial and technological developments that have facilitated the global circulation, consumption, and reception of humor-based short films, feature-length motion pictures, and television programs (from Canada to Romania to South Africa to New Zealand to Taiwan to Venezuela and beyond), the essays in this volume will collectively make the case that, counter to traditional wisdom, comedy does travel, albeit often in limited (and unexpected) ways due to cultural differences, industry regulations, political factors, and/or language barriers.

Although an emphasis will be placed on the reception of texts across national and regional borders, contributors are invited to take a variety of critical approaches or theoretical perspectives in the analyses of their chosen case studies. Contributors should feel free to pursue qualitative research in the areas of media industries, audience studies, spectatorship, situated (counter)publics, and resistant or negotiated reading strategies adopted by in-group or out-group members. In hopes of reaching a wide readership, the essays should be sophisticated and scholarly, yet relatively jargon-free.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· culturally specific forms of physical and/or spoken comedy located in selected national contexts, e.g. Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Mainland China, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and so forth

· exemplary, humor-based works that have been produced in largely overlooked areas of the world, i.e., countries that have not received much attention in the existing literature on international film and television comedy

· recent film and TV remakes of international comedies and the challenges of cultural translation/adaptation

· different manifestations of comic satisfaction, such as laughter, finger-snaps, whistles, etc., found in regionally specific contexts of film and television reception

· humor "on the move” and the mobile consumption of comedy (liminal spectatorship)

· cross-cultural "cringe,” the global "gross out” moment, and the affective trajectories of scatological comedy

· international comedy film festivals, media outlets, cable networks, and the marketing/selling/exhibition of humor-based cultural productions across borders

· YouTube and other video-sharing websites through which comedy is made to "circulate” virtually

· stars of global comedy and the "transnationalizing” of comedic talent

· racial and ethnic diversity in internationally distributed comedy productions

· sexual identity and gender politics in internationally distributed comedy productions

· social class and strategies of "containment”

Please send your abstract (500-750 words in length) or completed essay (5,000-7,000 words), plus a brief biographical statement, as e-mail attachments (in Word or as a Rich Text File) to the email address listed below.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is April 30, 2011. Once I have determined which essays to include in the volume, I will send the manuscript proposal to a university press this summer. The tentative deadline for the completion of essays (after acceptance) will be December 30, 2011.

Dr. David Scott Diffrient
Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies
Department of Communication Studies
Colorado State University
Scott.Diffrient@colostate.edu

Date: 6 November 2010

On November 6, La Mamounia will celebrate the first La Mamounia Literary Awards, honoring the best of Moroccan literature. Eager to contribute to the growth of Moroccan literature, La Mamounia has gathered an international French-speaking jury to judge and name the winner of the literary prize, valued at 20,000 euros ($26,000). The awards are designed to position La Mamounia as a center for both literary culture and luxury. By contributing to Morocco’s arts and culture, the awards provide a national and international stage for Moroccan authors writing in French.

The panel of judges, overseen by French journalist and TV/radio host Guillaume Durand, includes author Christine Orban, radio producer and author Denise Bombardier, founder of Editions Le Fennec Layla Chaouni, singer and composer Julien Clerc, literary professor Khalid Zekri, founder of Le Magazine Littéraire du Maroc Abdesselam Cheddadi, author Marc Dugain, Head of the French Literary Academy of Belgium Jacques De Decker, French journalist Elisabeth Tchoungui, and literary connoisseur Layla Chaouni.

Seoul National University (SNU) invites applications for full-time faculty positions (ladder and non-ladder) in various disciplines. In order to promote diversity of its faculty, student body, and curriculum, as well as to strengthen its position on the global map, the university seeks outstanding international scholars. Starting dates vary according to position.

The premier university in the Republic of Korea, SNU is also an institution of international stature. Ranked 51st among the world's best universities by the Times of London in 2007, SNU aims to become one of the top ten by 2025. The university comprises 16 colleges, a graduate school of arts and sciences, and six professional graduate schools, altogether enrolling approximately 30,000 students. The full-time faculty of about 2,500 offers 83 undergraduate and 98 graduate programs, including 27 interdisciplinary programs. SNU also houses 143 research centers. Its vibrant main campus is located on the scenic hills of Gwanak Mountain in southern Seoul.

Department: French Language and Literature
Field: Literature and Culture of Francophone Africa
Send applications to: ninienne@snu.ac.kr
Call: 82-2-880-6113, 82-2-887-2493

A. Qualifications

1. Doctoral degree or equivalent in a related field
2. Strong command of English language
3. Publications commensurate with rank
4. Excellent teaching credentials
5. Citizenship other than that of the Republic of Korea*

B. Required documents

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae (including contact information on at least three professional references)

C. Document submission

1. Via e-mail or post to appropriate college (refer to contact information on the website)
2. If the application is submitted by post, it should be sent via registered mail and arrive by the application deadline
3. Starting date of application review: refer to individual college deadlines on the website

Benefits

1. Twelve-month based salary
2. Intra-university research grants
3. One-semester paid research leave every seven semesters
4. Support by motivated student assistants
5. Health insurance (includes dental coverage)
6. Work-related accident insurance
7. Unemployment insurance
8. Government-employee pension
9. Initial moving expense support
10. Optional campus housing at a cost substantially below market rate

Deadline: 30 November 2010

Submissions

Although the judges have been reading books all year, if you're a publisher and want to make sure that your works are being considered, feel free to contact any and all of the panelists. If you have any questions, please contact Chad Post at chad.post@rochester.edu

There's no entry fee, all you have to do is mail one copy of your publication to each of the five panelists. Please indicate that the package is a 2010 BTB submission.

Eligibility

All original translations published between December 1, 2009 and November 30, 2010 are eligible. Reprints and retranslation are ineligible. Submissions will be accepted until November 30, 2010.

Press Release

Amazon.com has awarded the University of Rochester/Three Percent website a $25,000 grant in support of the 2011 Best Translated Book Awards. This grant will support $5,000 cash prizes for both the winning translators and authors.

Launched by Three Percent in 2007, the Best Translated Book Awards aim to bring attention to the best original works of international fiction and poetry published in the U.S. during the previous year. Judges base their decision on both the quality of the original work and the quality of the English translation. Until this year, however, the award carried no cash prize.

“Over the past few years, the awards have grown in stature, and the introduction of a cash prize for the winners will greatly enhance the reputation and reach of the award,” said Chad W. Post, director of Open Letter Books and Three Percent.

According to fiction panelist Matthew Jakubowski, “Without a doubt, this level of support for translated literature helps enrich book culture in our country. Publishers, authors, translators, and of course the growing number of readers attuned to new literature from around the world will benefit. And best of all, every year the BTBAs provide a great way to learn about dozens of great new books that we’d otherwise hear little about.”

On January 27, 2011, the twenty-five-title fiction longlist will be announced on the Three Percent and Best Translated Book Award websites, and over the following month each title will be individually highlighted through short write-ups by the various judges. The ten-title shortlists for both fiction and poetry will be announced on March 24th, and the winning titles will be celebrated at a special reception during the PEN World Voices Festival at the end of April.

Recent winners for fiction include Tranquility by Attila Bartis, translated from the Hungarian by Imre Goldstein (Archipelago), and The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven, translated from the Hebrew by Dalya Bilu (Melville House). In poetry, The Russian Version by Elena Fanailova, translated from the Russian by Genya Turovskaya and Stephanie Sandler (Ugly Duckling), received the award in 2010, and For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut by Takashi Hiraide, translated from the Japanese by Sawako Nakayasu (New Directions), received the award in 2009.

Information about how to submit a title for the 2011 Best Transalted Book Awards can be found on the BTBA website.

In addition to sponsoring the Best Translated Book Awards, Amazon.com has awarded grants to a diverse range of not-for-profit author and publisher groups dedicated to fostering the creation, discussion, and publication of new writing and new voices, including Ledig House, Milkweed Editions, Copper Canyon Press, Open Letter, Archipelago Books, PEN American Center, Words Without Borders, and the Center for the Art of Translation, all of which are committed to the international exchange of literature and the work of translators.

Dates: 8 - 11 December 2010

Garden City Literary Festival Celebrates 50 Years of Nigerian Writing

As Nigeria celebrates 50 years of independence, the 2010 Garden City Literary Festival (GCLF) is set to highlight the significant contribution of writers to the story of African nations. The GCLF is an initiative of the Rivers State Governor the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

This third outing of the festival is once again organised by the Rainbow Book Club in conjunction with the Rivers State government and will take place from the 8th till the 11th of December in Port Harcourt. Adopting the theme: 50 years of Post-Colonial Literature, this celebration of all things literary, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

GCLF 2010 has an exciting line-up of writers including two Nobel Laureates - Professor Wole Soyinka and J.M.G Le Clezio - as special guest speakers. Visitors to the festival will enjoy a variety of events, including an international literature conference, writers’ workshops and a book fair. Plus there will be interactive sessions with authors, an essay competition for children and special drama presentations. The festival will be rounded off with a grand awards gala to celebrate those who have contributed to the Nigerian literary scene over the past five decades.

The focus on writers and their role in developing nations is part of Rainbow’s commitment to enhancing the future by promoting a reading culture on the continent.

Deadline: 17 October 2010

LECTURESHIP in Modern Middle-Eastern Studies (m/f)

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University invites applications for a fulltime lectureship in Modern Middle-Eastern Studies. The lecturer is expected to combine disciplinary expertise with a regional focus on the Arab Middle East (e.g. Egypt, Syria, Arabian Peninsula).

Initial appointment will be fixed-term from September 2011 through August 2014, with the possibility of extensions of up to three years, and of tenure thereafter.

Since its foundation in 1575, Leiden University has built an internationally recognised record of excellence in teaching and research. Leiden University is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). Currently, the University has around 17,000 students and 4,000 staff.

The Faculty of Humanities consists of the Institutes for Area Studies, Creative & Performing Arts, Cultural Disciplines, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. It has about 4,500 students and 900 staff. Staff and students come from all over the world. The faculty offers about 30 BA programmes and 45 MA programmes. The majority of the MA programmes are taught in English. The faculty has a Graduate School with an annual output of about 50 PhDs. Faculty researchers are involved in several of the University’s key research areas: Asian Modernities and Traditions; Global Interaction of People, Culture and Power through the Ages; Language Diversity in the World; Political Legitimacy: Institutions and Identities; and Brain Function and Dysfunction over the Lifespan.

As part of the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), Middle-Eastern Studies at Leiden University are committed to the integration of disciplinary and regional-historical perspectives, on a solid foundation of excellent language skills, in a research environment that is further enhanced by the Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS), the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) and the Netherlands Inter-university School for Islamic Studies (NISIS). Current staff in Middle-Eastern Studies have expertise in the fields of Anthropology, Art and Material Culture, Film Studies, History, Law, Language Pedagogy, Linguistics, Literature and the Performing Arts, Philology, Political Science, and Religious Studies.

Job description

* Original research involving primary sources and fieldwork as appropriate;
* Teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels, in lecture and seminar formats;
* Supervision of BA and MA theses;
* Supervision of PhD research;
* Acquisition of project funding;
* Administrative duties, commensurate with experience and level of appointment;
* Representation of the field to external audiences and media.

Requirements

* Excellent research qualities, visible in a PhD degree (candidates near completion of the degree may be considered) and a high-quality, internationally acces­sible publication record and fieldwork experience, as measured against relative seniority;
* Demonstrable commitment to high-quality teaching practice;
* Disciplinary expertise in International Relations, History, Political Economy, Political Science or Sociology, with a focus on the Arab Middle East (e.g. Egypt, Syria, Arabian Peninsula), and openness to interdisciplinary cooperation;
* An excellent command of Arabic and, preferably, one other Middle-Eastern language;
* Commitment to the acquisition of research funding from national and international grant schemes;
* Administrative abilities, as measured against relative seniority;
* An excellent command of English. (If the lecturer is not Dutch-speaking, s/he is expected to have acquired a good command of Dutch within two years from taking up duty. LIAS will make resources available to this end.)

Conditions of employment

The rank of lecturer (Universitair Docent) corresponds roughly to that of assistant professor in North-American terms. Salary range: from € 3195 to € 4970 per month, commensurate with qualifications, with additional holiday and end-of-year bonuses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Leiden University aims to employ more women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore especially invited to apply.

Review of applications will commence by 18 October 2010 and continue until the position is filled. For inquiries please contact"

Prof Maghiel van Crevel, LIAS Academic Director, m.vancrevel@hum.leidenuniv.nl Prof Petra Sijpesteijn, Professor of Arabic p.m.sijpestein@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Applications may be submitted in print or via email. They should cite reference no 10-185 and include letter of motivation including the applicant’s vision of Modern Middle-Eastern Studies a CV including a list of publications and courses taught a statement of teaching philosophy an outline of planned research (individual and/or team projects) the names, positions and email addresses of three referees.

Applications should be addressed to the Modern Middle-East Search Committee, at vacatureslias@hum.leidenuniv.nl or

P&O FGW
PO Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands

Deadline: 31 December 2010

Overview

In line with its vision to be an Arts Faculty that nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural understanding; and a mission to contribute innovatively to the socio-economic development of Africa and the world through culture-led social, economic and physical regeneration, the Faculty of the Arts at the Tshwane University of Technology is inviting abstracts for papers to be delivered at its Arts, Society and Sustainable Development Conference.

The aim of the conference is to assemble art practitioners (visual and performing), professionals, designers, academics, researchers, government officials, cultural workers, and industry partners to share creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries; and to offer a platform for the interrogation of the relationship between the arts and community development. This will assist in strengthening arts’ engagement and participation and become part of the momentum that will carry our industry forward into the coming decade.

Development is a vast area of human endeavour. Development is not limited to the narrow confines of economic growth and improvement of infrastructure in the urban areas. Development is taken holistically to include “The ability of the members of a community to relate creatively to themselves, their neighbours, their environment, and the world at large, so that each one might express his maximum potential. Such development, then, has a lot to do with the distribution of power and of resources – who gets what, how, and why? It is, basically, a process of empowerment” (Pradervand, 1989: xvii).

The conference encourages debates around socio-cultural development of the community, development of products, entrepreneurship, and the economy. Aspects such as ability to brand, to determine niche markets, to develop business plans and attract customers, should be investigated because in today’s knowledge economy they play critical roles in the development of the arts and design. Are there challenges militating against the development of policies to nurture growth in the culture industries? What are the challenges?

Presentations should be geared towards centre-staging arts’ capacity to help shape the past, present and future of contemporary societies. Papers must address the conference theme and the sub-themes.

Conference Theme: Arts, Society and Sustainable Development

Sub-Themes:
• Craft and national development
• Participatory theatre and community development
• Arts education and cultural development
• The arts, democratic ideals and state-building processes
• Arts and technological development
• Artistic innovation and social change
• Creative industries and economic development
• Cultural planning, policy, rural and urban regeneration
• Art products as cultural symbols
• Fashion design and entrepreneurship
• Socio-cultural aspects of clothing
• Literature/film in the service of humanity
• Multi-media and skills development
• Music industry and cultural/economic development
• Popular culture
• The arts and conflict resolution
• Entertainment technology and commercialisation.

(Presenters may not limit themselves to the listed sub-themes. Exploration of issues in related areas is encouraged).

CALL FOR PAPERS
International Conference on Arts, Society and Sustainable Development
27 – 29 June 2011 | Pretoria, South Africa
Venue
CSIR International Convention Centre,
Meiring Naude Road, Brummeria, Pretoria
www.csiricc.co.za
Conference Dates
27 – 29 JUNE 2011

Call for Abstracts
Presenters are to submit topics/abstracts (500 words; Pdf/MS Word format) to reach the Conference Secretariat by 31 December 2010. Receipt of abstracts will be acknowledged and letters of acceptance of abstracts will be mailed on 28 February 2011.

Guidelines for Submission of Abstracts
• Electronic submissions of abstracts are encouraged. Abstracts (hard copies) sent by mail will also be considered. E-mail your abstracts to Irene Botes: botesjc@tut.ac.za or Gladys Sibanda: sibandag@tut.ac.za.
• Abstracts received will be blind peer reviewed.
• Submissions must include a separate title page containing: title of paper; title, names and institutional affiliation of author(s); postal address; telephone and or/ fax numbers; e-mail addresses; and four or five keywords.
• Accepted abstracts will be published in the conference programme.
• Each abstract should be accompanied by a short bio-data of the presenter/author.
• A conference proceeding with an ISBN number will be published after the congress.