‘Info’ has different mechanisms for censorship every year: Safar

‘Disparities in monitoring book fair’

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 15: Kuwaiti fine artist and author Abdullah Safar categorized people who visit Kuwait International Book Fair into three groups; those who go in search of certain authors and playwrights with large followers on social media, those who are there to represent authors whose works are prohibited in Kuwait, and people who are looking for books to read, reports Al-Jarida daily.

Speaking about the mechanism by which the Ministry of Information is censoring publications in Kuwait, Safar stated the ministry stipulates different mechanisms each year and he doesn’t have any stance concerning the censorship in general, because his books are always approved and bought, indicating he’s widely accepted by the readers.

He is of the view that censorship is cowardice if legal procedure is taken against an author due to campaign organized against his publication by some people who are not pleased with the work. He pointed to disparities in monitoring the book fair “but in the end, rigidity is observed”, he said.

Concerning the number of copies an author should publish, he explained that issuing about 1,000 copies for the first edition is a tradition and he’s surprised that some publishing companies agree to print 200 copies, noting it’s a wrong marketing strategy. He stressed, “It is unfortunate we cannot blame some authors at this point in time, because some publishing companies impose their marketing policies on them.”