Hargeisa International Book Fair: Somaliland’s Week of Books
The Hargeisa International Book Fair began in 2008 with about 200 visitors and a few dozen borrowed books. Today it fills a week each summer with writers, poets and readers. Here is its story, and how to plan a visit around it.
CULTURE · FESTIVALS
Every summer, for six days, Hargeisa turns into a city of books. Writers, poets, artists and readers fill the Hargeysa Cultural Centre for talks, readings and performances. A guest country arrives with its own artists, and each year has a single theme. Here is how the Hargeisa International Book Fair began, and what to expect if you go.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and governs itself. Somalia regards it as part of its territory. Israel (December 2025) is so far the only UN member state to recognise it (see Somaliland’s foreign relations).
The Hargeisa International Book Fair at a glance
Here are the key facts in one place.
| Official name | Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) |
| First held | 2008 |
| Founded by | Redsea Cultural Foundation and Kayd, Somali diaspora organisations in Italy and the UK |
| Director | Jama Musse Jama |
| Venue | Hargeysa Cultural Centre |
| When | Usually late July, for six days |
| Visitors | Over 10,000, as reported in 2024 |
You will see both spellings. The fair’s own name uses the Somali spelling, Hargeysa. We use Hargeisa, the form Wikipedia and many news outlets use.
How the Hargeisa International Book Fair began
At first, the fair was small. In 2008, the organisers showed only a few dozen books, borrowed from friends, and drew about 200 visitors, AFP reported.
The founder and director is Jama Musse Jama, a mathematician and publisher. In a Rift Valley Institute report, he explained that there had been no space to sit down and simply debate. His co-organiser was Ayan Mahamoud of Kayd Arts and Culture. Geeska describes the fair as founded by two diaspora Somalilanders to promote reading, writing and Somali literature.
After that, growth came quickly. Over its first decade, writers emerged, books were published, reading clubs formed and public libraries opened, according to AFP. In 2016, VOA reported that the fair had inspired similar events in Mogadishu and Puntland. It had also inspired Somali heritage festivals in Kenya and Europe.
Books for the whole country
The fair has always reached beyond the capital. In its first four years, a moving library travelled across Somaliland before each fair. In 2020, Jama described it as a week-long caravan of 15 cars that stopped in villages to talk about books. The idea lives on in the Somaliland Moving Libraries, which bring remote communities to Hargeysa for the fair.
Meanwhile, publishing has grown alongside it. In the same interview, Jama recalled a survey that found only 189 titles in Somali in circulation. In 2019, he said, 250 books were published and printed locally. Book launches are still part of every fair’s programme.
The Hargeysa Cultural Centre
The fair has a permanent home. In February 2014, the Rift Valley Institute and the Redsea Cultural Foundation won an EU grant to set up a centre. It had its formal opening in August 2014, during that year’s fair.
In fact, the centre hosts much more than one festival. The Redsea Cultural Foundation runs writing courses, theatre, film screenings, lectures and exhibitions there.
In addition, it holds a remarkable archive. At its heart is a collection of some 14,000 cassette tapes. They hold poems, radio plays, news broadcasts, music and family messages. Jama calls it the heart of the archive. In 2024, AFP reported that a small volunteer team was cataloguing and digitising the tapes. Together they hold more than half a century of the region’s musical, cultural and political life.
A theme and a guest country every year
Each Hargeisa International Book Fair has a theme and a guest country, usually from Africa. Guest countries are invited so that Somalis can learn about other African countries, VOA reported. The table below shows the most recent editions.
| Year | Dates | Theme | Guest country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25–30 July | Continuity | Eswatini |
| 2025 | 26–31 July | Africa | Zambia |
| 2024 | 20–25 July | Togetherness | Tunisia |
| 2023 | 22–27 July | Resilience | Morocco |
| 2022 | 23–28 July | Solidarity | Senegal |
The very first theme, in 2008, was Freedom. Earlier guests have included Djibouti, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The 2026 fair was the 19th edition. It opened on Saturday 25 July with the theme Continuity and Eswatini as guest country. Ministers, academics, authors and artists from Somaliland and abroad attended the opening, as did Edna Adan Ismail, the former foreign minister.
In 2025, Zambia’s delegation came from the Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre. That year, events also reached Berbera and Gebiley.
What to expect at the Hargeisa International Book Fair
Expect a full programme. The 2024 edition alone listed 123 speakers, 35 panels, three children’s sessions and 24 new Somali books. It also had painters, performers, a circus, chess and a competition in shax, a traditional board game.
The 2026 programme had book launches, panel discussions, poetry readings, artistic performances and debates on history, education and current affairs.
The fair puts particular emphasis on young people. In a 2020 interview, Jama said that more than 60 young volunteers help run it. He also described a short story competition, Sheeko iyo Shaahid, whose winning book is published at the fair.
Above all, poetry runs through the programme. In Somali culture, a poem can carry real weight, as we explain in When Words Were Mightier Than Weapons. At the fair, you can hear that tradition live.
How to attend the Hargeisa International Book Fair
Planning a trip around the fair is simple in principle. Keep these points in mind.
- Dates. Recent editions have run for six days in late July, starting on a Saturday. When we last checked, the dates for 2027 had not been announced, so watch the organisers’ channels before you book.
- Entry and programme. We could not find published entry details or a visitor programme. Ask your hotel or local contacts to check closer to the date.
- Weather and seasons. For what July is like, see our guide to the best time to visit Somaliland.
- Getting there and around. Our Hargeisa Travel Guide covers flights, the visa on arrival and money.
- Before you go. Have a look at the latest UK travel advice and read Is Somaliland Safe?
- Photos. Always ask before photographing people.
The fair fills only one week, but the city is worth more. To build the rest of your stay, see our list of things to do in Hargeisa. For readers, poets and anyone curious about Somali culture, the Hargeisa International Book Fair is a fine reason to come.
Sources
- Hargeysa Cultural Centre, Rift Valley Institute (no date on page; accessed 28 October 2026).
- The seventh International Book Fair in Somaliland and the opening of the Hargeysa Cultural Centre, Rift Valley Institute (2014; no date on page; accessed 28 October 2026).
- Hargeisa book fair opens with Eswatini as guest country, Geeska News Desk, 25 July 2026.
- Hargeisa International Book Fair 2025 Marks 18 Years of Cultural Resilience and Pan-African Solidarity, The Horn Tribune (Maxamuud Walaaleeye), 26 July 2025.
- 2024 Hargeisa International Book Fair opens with Tunisia as guest country, Hiiraan Online, 21 July 2024.
- Maintain unity to safeguard togetherness, the VP tells the nation as he opens Hargeisa International Book Fair 2024, Somaliland Standard, 20 July 2024.
- 11th book fair underway in Somaliland to reclaim cultural identity, AFP via Africanews, 24 July 2018.
- Somaliland Book Festival Aims to Promote Culture, Preserve Language, VOA (Harun Maruf), 24 July 2016.
- The national archives built from a crumpled napkin, The Christian Science Monitor (Ryan Lenora Brown), 11 March 2020.
- Re-discovered tapes bear witness to Somaliland identity, AFP via Arab News, 17 December 2024.
- Redsea Cultural Foundation, Prince Claus Fund (accessed 28 October 2026).
- Hargeisa International Book Fair (2013 event page), Rift Valley Institute (accessed 28 October 2026).
- Literary Culture in Somaliland: An Interview with Jama Musse Jama, Brittle Paper (Bhakti Shringarpure), 25 September 2020.
- Hargeisa International Book Fair, Wikipedia (accessed 28 October 2026).
- Somalia travel advice: regional risks, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (accessed 28 October 2026).
Last checked 28 October 2026. Found an error or something out of date? Tell us.
