Organized by Der Divan, the Arabic Culture House in Berlin, the Book Fair brings together German and Arabic publishers interested in translating Arab works into German and vice versa. At the opening of the Book Fair, Borghino spoke about the importance of book fairs historically for the promotion of works internationally and how these places of interaction across cultures are especially crucial now as both freedom to publish and copyright are increasingly threatened globally.
Borghino also spoke on a panel about the importance of enhancing the reach and quality of data and statistics in the publishing sector, and why the many gaps in our view of the size of the publishing industry around the world are hampering our continuing campaign to educate politicians and the general public about the economic, social and cultural benefits of the publishing sector. Also on the panel were Stephan Trudewind from the German translation publisher Orient, Johanna Hann the head of the IPA member Börsenverein in the Berlin-Brandenburg area, and Bachar Chebaro the Secretary General of the IPA member the Arab Publishers Association.
