Monday, May 13, 2012
Kabul (BNA) A glance on Afghanistan`s traditional book reading culture in a multiethnic and traditional country like Afghanistan where majority of the people are illiterate.
Despite that people in various regions of the country have their own poetry moods and are interested to organize literary meetings and gatherings to get amusements of their free time.
But, simultaneously, with the development of technology and modernism, public interests in to book reading culture has noticeably declined while previously people were spending nights together and were reading the story of Amir Arsalan Romi and various other poetry books of Hafez Sherazi, Bedil, Ferdowsi, story of Yusuf and Zulaikha, Laimi and Majnon, Shirin wa Farhad. In the past because most of the people had no access to modern technology and other means of communication, so preferred to come around and listen to the stories, in the past people were spending their winter nights through same approach and were enthusiastic from the stories. Negative impacts of modern technology and communication on book reading culture: simultaneously with the development of information technology and telecommunication and digital world, traditional system of book reading culture also declined and modernization largely affected book sale markets and public interests were also decreased to purchase books while in the past people were struggling to spend their winter nights and free time through nighttime gathering and corner meetings to listen to the stories. But growth of modern technology and modernization impacted this great social and traditional value and now people don’t have much interest to read books to listen to the romantic and tragic stories. Now days accessibility of the people to various means of communication same as radio, television, internet and telecommunication motivate them to prefer modern technology. Breezy book market of Afghanistan: in a impoverished country like of Afghanistan where majority of the people have no access to employment and better daily incomes people avoid purchasing books due to their economic problems and the economic calamity confronted by the families also prevented their children and adults from learning and education and they sent their young Childs to enter work markets and feed their stomach. The upper social issued emerged from poverty and economic problems have also affected book selling markets of the country and on the other hand, effective policies weren’t formulated by the concerned institutions working in this sphere to institutionalize book reading culture and support cultural foundation of the country for training a literate society. Fortunately, despite series of social and economic challenges encountered by the country and people, in recent years several books were published don different topics and hundreds of thousands of books were also imported from foreign countries to honor requirements of people particularly the students at the universities and higher educational institutions. This shows that despite socioeconomic challenges and impacts of modern technology on traditional system of education and study still the people in the country have retained interests to the social values including traditional system of book reading culture and publications of several books during the recent years certify this reality and it`s a positive sign. Printing and publication of books in Afghanistan: however, Afghanistan has sought allegiance to the international book association and ministry of information and culture of describes it as an important achievement. Undoubtedly, Afghanistan’s adhesion to the international book association provides international recognition to the printing and publication of book inside the country. Afghanistan shouldn’t rely only on adhesion to the international book value association; the main thing is that we should focus on better quality of the books printed in the country and deficiencies that could have damaging impacts on book publications should be wiped out from the way. Although, traders and publishers express satisfaction over growth of book publication in the country, but, they announce endeavors of concerned institutions working in this respect particularly job of ministry of information and culture as insufficient efforts to further intensify quality and quantity of books in the country while in cases the publishers prefer to print their books outside the country in higher rate. Book exhibition: officials of Afghanistan’s ministry of information and culture have announced in the recent years dozens of book exhibitions and book festivals were organized by the concerned organ and contribution of private cultural institutions were also tangible and it attracted the university students in large scale. But, general public participation in these festivals weren’t visible and there are need to forge comprehensive measures in this respect to expand book reading and purchasing culture among the common people to form a literate and civilized generation in the future. It’s expected that with the expansion of economic opportunity and restoration of peace and security, book reading culture is also intensified among the common man.
