📚 Amman Book Fair Goes Beyond Books
The Amman International Book Fair is offering more than publishing activities and book exhibitions during its 25th edition.
Its accompanying cultural program brings together writers, academics, critics, poets, filmmakers and cultural figures to discuss literature, art, education, memory and the transformations affecting Arab societies.
The current edition is held under the theme “Jordan: The Land and the Human”, while Syria is participating as the guest of honor.
The program reflects the fair’s expanding role as a cultural meeting point where books become a starting point for broader conversations.
🎥 1. Hatem Ali: “The Scene We Lived”
One of the highlighted events was the screening and discussion of the documentary “Hatem Ali: The Scene We Lived,” which revisits the artistic legacy of the late Arab director and actor Hatem Ali.
The documentary explores his approach to directing and his treatment of social and historical subjects through television and cinema.
🎬 The discussion also creates an opportunity to examine the relationship between drama and history, and how visual storytelling can preserve collective memory while presenting historical and social questions to new audiences.
📱 2. Arab Media in the Social Media Era
Another session focused on “Arab Media in the Social Media Era,” featuring journalist Tony Khalifeh and Dr. Zaid Al-Nuwaiseh.
The discussion addressed the major changes brought about by digital platforms and their growing influence on the relationship between audiences and information.
📱 Social media has become more than a communication tool. It is now an important part of news circulation, public discussion and cultural engagement.
This transformation also affects publishing and literature, as writers and cultural institutions increasingly use digital platforms to communicate with new audiences.
✍️ 3. “Jordanian Voices”
The fair also hosted “Jordanian Voices: Transformations of Form and Vision,” a session highlighting developments in Jordanian literary writing.
The event featured Majdoulin Abu Al-Rub, Nabil Abdel Karim and Lana Rateb Al-Majali, focusing on changes in literary form and creative vision.
✨ Such discussions provide space for different generations of writers and help introduce contemporary literary experiences to wider audiences.
⚔️ 4. War Literature and Representations of Violence
One of the most prominent literary sessions was “War Literature: Representations of Violence in Poetry and Fiction,” featuring Saudi critic and intellectual Dr. Saad Al-Bazei.
The discussion examined how literature represents war and violence and how these themes have changed between classical poetry and modern literary works.
📖 Poetry often approaches war through symbolism, imagery and condensed language, while fiction can explore the long-term effects of conflict through characters and personal experiences.
Literature can therefore transform war from a historical event into a human experience, preserving emotions, memories and individual stories.
🧠 5. Why Did the Arab Renaissance Stumble?
Another major intellectual discussion was titled “Why Did the Arab Renaissance Stumble? Knowledge, Education and the State.”
The session featured Dr. Hind Abu Al-Sha’ar and Dr. Yousef Rababa’a, moderated by Dr. Kamal Mirza.
The discussion examined the relationship between education, knowledge production and institution-building.
🔎 It also addressed the challenge of moving from simply consuming knowledge to actively producing it through research, education and innovation.
The subject remains particularly relevant in an era of rapid technological and scientific change, when societies increasingly depend on their ability to create knowledge rather than merely access information.
🖋️ 6. Mohamed Tumaili and the Language of Satire
The fair also celebrated the late Jordanian writer Mohamed Tumaili through an event titled “Mohamed Tumaili: The Rhetoric of the Margins and Dark Satire.”
The event explored his distinctive literary and journalistic style, particularly his use of irony and satire to address everyday life and social questions.
Participants included Ahmed Tumaili, Nasser Al-Jaafari and Hisham Al-Akhras, moderated by Dareen Al-Duweik.
✒️ Revisiting Tumaili’s work introduces younger generations to a distinctive literary voice that transformed marginal spaces and everyday details into material for social and human observation.
🎤 7. A Poetry Evening Bringing Jordanian and Palestinian Voices Together
Poetry also occupies an important place in the cultural program through an evening featuring poets from Jordan and Palestine.
Participants included Fatma Nazzal, Hafez Alyan, Abdel Salam Attari, Abdel Basit Al-Kayali and Nour Al-Rawashdeh, moderated by Dr. Mukhalled Barakat.
🌿 The evening explored themes connected to homeland, memory, belonging and exile, while offering audiences an opportunity to experience contemporary Arabic poetry directly from its creators.
🇯🇴 Celebrating Jordanian Cultural Memory
The 25th edition of the Amman International Book Fair is taking place under the theme “Jordan: The Land and the Human,” emphasizing the relationship between literature, place and collective memory.
Syria’s participation as guest of honor also adds a broader Arab dimension to the event and creates opportunities for cultural exchange.
The wider program also includes discussions about books and libraries in the age of artificial intelligence, cultural development, children’s literature, science fiction, oral storytelling and popular memory.
✨ Literature, Cinema, Poetry and Intellectual Dialogue
The diversity of the Amman Book Fair program demonstrates how contemporary book fairs can function as broader cultural platforms.
📚 Books remain at the center.
🎤 Poetry creates direct interaction between writers and audiences.
🎬 Cinema provides another way to preserve cultural memory.
🧠 Intellectual discussions examine education, knowledge and social change.
📱 Digital media reflects the changing relationship between culture and audiences.
Together, these activities create a cultural experience that extends beyond buying books and attending signing events.
📅 The Fair Continues Through October 3
The Amman International Book Fair continues through October 3, 2026, with a broad cultural program featuring numerous discussions, literary evenings and artistic events.
The remaining program is expected to continue exploring literature, culture, digital transformation and social change while celebrating influential figures and contemporary creative voices.
📚 Which event would you most like to attend: the discussion on war literature, the Hatem Ali documentary, the poetry evening, or the debate about the Arab renaissance and knowledge? Share your choice in the comments. 👇✨
