April 23 was World Book and Copyright Day:

A rose for love and a book forever

Aditha DISSANAYAKE

If you happened to be in Barcelona this Tuesday, doubtless, you too would have walked the famous, tree-lined thoroughfare, La Rambla filled with florists and booksellers. You too would have purchased a red rose and a book to offer the one you love to celebrate El dia de Libre (The Day of the Book).

The history of this day dates back to the days of St. George. Legend has it once long ago, a terrible dragon terrorized a town, demanding that the inhabitants sacrifice two sheep a day to keep him fed. Once the sheep were gone, the townspeople were forced to sacrifice their children, chosen each day by lottery.

The day the king's daughter was to be devoured by the dragon Saint George happened to pass by. Realizing what was happening he slew the beast with his sword. The dragon's blood spilled to the ground; on that spot a rosebush grew. Saint George plucked the rose and gave it to the princess.

From then on for many years, a man's gift of a rose to his girlfriend was the accepted form of celebration of Saint George's Day, sometimes called the 'Day of the Rose' or the 'Day of the Lovers.'

During the 1920s, a Catalonian bookseller noted that April 23 was also the day William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes passed away (both in 1616). In a brilliant, entreprising stroke of book promotion, it was determined that a book would be the perfect gift to be given in exchange for the rose. Thus was established El dia de Libre.

Since then, the tradition of exchanging a book and a rose is entrenched in Barcelona, Spain's publishing capital for books in both the Catalan and Spanish languages. Every year on April 23rd books are exchanged for roses and vice versa, keeping in mind the phrase 'A rose for love and a book forever.'

In 1995, probably inspired by the Catalan El dia del Libre, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared April 23 to be World Book and Copyright Day. To quote from a statement made by UNESCO, “23 April is a symbolic date for world literature for on this date in 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.” Doubtless a sad day, but a useful one nevertheless. As Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO states our relationship with books determines, to a large extent, our relationship with culture. It is important “to rally around books and support those who make their living from them and those who make them live.”

The Director General also states “from scrolls to codices, manuscripts to printed matter and tablet computers, books have changed in appearance many times over the centuries. In all formats, books embody ideas and values considered by men and women to be worth passing on. They are valuable tools for knowledge-sharing, mutual understanding and openness to others and to the world.

“UNESCO wishes to provide everyone with the means to access this tremendous potential. The effort begins at school, through a determined fight against illiteracy among children and adults, and continues in the strengthening of cultural policies. Without quality education, the pages of a book are silent. Books rarely work alone: they prompt us to read other books, which reveal other treasures. Without equitable access to the content and resources of physical or virtual libraries, the power of books wanes and their diversity diminishes. The book chain is based on fragile balances and requires active vigilance and instruments to support it. The implementation of UNESCO conventions such as the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is one example. Copyright protection is a cardinal principle of this action and a compass in the ever-changing cultural landscape.

“Our world needs to understand the diversity of cultures and to develop much stronger intercultural skills in the minds of every man and woman. We need these skills in order to live together in heterogeneous societies. We need them in order to address our common challenges together.”

On April 23 this year, UNESCO launched the celebrations of World Book and Copyright Day in Yerevan, in Armenia, World Book Capital for 2012. “On this day” said Irina Bokova “I call upon all of UNESCO's partners, in universities, Chairs and Associated Schools to remember that books are a force and an opportunity to be placed in the hands of all.”

The best way to celebrate the World Book Day (even if you are in Barcelona) would be to gift a book to a child. A book which would drag him or her into the innocent and fascinating world of the imagination, permanently shutting the doors of television and video games. A book that would inculcate the habit of reading in a child to last a lifetime.

As Roald Dahl writes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory “So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.”

Especially when April 23 has just passed by.

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[Theme for World Book and Copyright Day 2012]

In 2012, World Book and Copyright Day is concerned with the theme of translation as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Index Translationum, the world bibliography of translations, managed by UNESCO. This unique instrument is a formidable tool for the dissemination and monitoring of global cultural flows. Faced with increasing numbers of publications, the Director General of UNESCO believes Member States must join forces to build a more comprehensive, efficient and open instrument. “Translation is the first step towards the rapprochement of peoples, and is also a decentralizing experience, teaching diversity and dialogue. Translation is one of the driving principles of our creative diversity, which nriches each language through contact with all the others.”