Protesting the Cancellation of Adania Shibli's Award
Para: Frankfurt Book Fair
Statement Protesting the Cancellation of Adania Shibli's Award Ceremony by the Frankfurt Book Fair
Decades of Israeli occupation and settler colonialism on Palestinian land reached new heights with the recent IDF attacks on Gaza. As per this writing, more than 2,200 Palestinians have died (including 724 children) and more than 1 million Gazans have been ordered to evacuate the north.
In the midst of this grave humanitarian crisis, it is very important to give voice to the opressed through all mediums of expressions, including books and literature. Ironically, the Frankfurt Book Fair—as the biggest annual book fair in the world—has done the opposite. The awarding ceremony for Palestinian author Adania Shibli, whose novel "Minor Details" was to receive 2023 Literaturpreis, was cancelled unilaterally by the Fair, in their decision to "make Jewish and Israeli voices especially visible at the book fair" and to "stand with complete solidarity on the side of Israel".
This one-sideness is unacceptable, as the Frankfurt Book Fair should be a free and impartial forum to open dialogues and debates without violence. We, publishers from International Alliance of Independent Publishers, condemn the Frankfurt Book Fair's decision to cancel the award ceremony for Adania Shibli, and demand that Palestinian voices be given the same visibility and respect as other voices at the Fair.
Signatories
Ronny Agustinus, Marjin Kiri (Indonesia)
Indira Chandrasekhar, Tulika Books (India)
Amanda Crocker, Between the lines (Canada)
Élisabeth Daldoul, Elyzad (Tunisia)
Samar Haddad, Atlas Publishing (Syria)
Susan Hawthorne, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Colleen Higgs, Modjaji Books (South Africa)
Renate Klein, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Ritu Menon, Women Unlimited (India)
Anahita Redisiu, Forough Verlag (Germany)
Müge Gursoy Sökmen, Metis Publishers (Turkey)
Aliou Sow, Éditions Ganndal (Guinea)
Mariana Warth, Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Ivana Jinkings, Boitempo (Brazil)
Sebastian Budgen, Verso Books (United Kingdom)
Stella Magliani-Belkacem, La Fabrique (France)
Haroldo Ceravolo, Alameda (Brazil)
Simón Vásquez, Verso Libros (Spain)
Luiz Fernando Emediato, Geração (Brazil)
Lizandra Magon, Jandaíra (Brazil)
Sandra Abrano, Bandeirola (Brazil)
Simone Paulino, Nós and Nossa (Brazil, France)
Pedro Fonseca, Âyiné (Brazil)
Ione Meloni Nassar, Mercuryo Jovem (Brazil)
Maira Nassif, Relicário (Brazil)
Naiara Raggiotti, Carochinha (Brazil)
Mary Lou Paris, Terceiro Nome (Brazil)
Adriana Maciel, Numa (Brazil)
Whaner Endo, W4 Editora (Brazil)
Flávia Bonfim, Movimento Contínuo (Brazil)
Araken Ribeiro, Contracapa (Brazil)
Tomaz Adour, Vermelho Marinho (Brazil)
Zygmunt Antoni Filipecki Jr., Mauad (Brazil)
Dolores Prades, Instituto Emília (Brazil)
Alexandre Martins Fontes, WMF Martins Fontes (Brazil)
Fernando Diego Garcia, Libros del Zorro Rojo (Spain)
Daniel Louzada, Da Vinci (Brazil)
Cauê Ameni, Autonomia Literária and Jacobin (Brazil)
Denise Natale, Papagaio (Brazil)
Cristina Warth, Pallas (Brazil)
Raquel Menezes, Oficina Raquel (Brazil)
Clô Barcellos, Libretos (Brazil)
Maria Osório, Babel (Colômbia)
Letícia Esteban, Gato Sueco (Spain)
Maria Beatriz Medina, Banco del livro (Venezuela)
Jorge Breogan, Sundermann (Brazil)
João Carneiro, Tomo (Brazil)
Daniela Gutfreund, Lugar de ler (Brazil)
Renata Nakano, Quindim (Brazil)
Rosa Maria Zuccherato, Nova Alexandria (Brazil)
Rosana Mont’Alverne, Aletria (Brazil)
Sara Bertrand, writer (Chile)
Marcos Guardiola, illustrator (Spain)
Sol Undurruaga, writer and illustrator (Chile)
Fernanda Emediato, Troia (Brazil)
Luiz Bernardo Pericas, writer (Brazil)
