08.00-10.00: Panel: Art curators together: platform for culture, art and literature promotion
StoryMoja (Nairobi), XXXX (..) likewise Hargeysa International Book Fair celebrate their 10th anniversary in this year. The three festival founders and management discuss the role of art curators in the development and promotion of art and culture. Djibouti’s – the Book Caravan, a cultural association that has actively promoted reading and writing since last year, and will join the platform sharing their newly born association’s long term strategy.

10.00- 12.00 Panel: Media connects: Raghe Omar, Muna Kosar, Mary Harper, Khainga – chaired by Barkhad M Kaariye.

16.00-18.00: Children’s Program

19.00-21.00: HIBF connects the neighbourhood: Ethiopia Panel
Ethiopia, a home of XX million Somali speakers and a partner of Somaliland in many regional social, political and economic development aspects will be honored to contribute this year’s book fair programme with a designed panel session. The panel will cover the Contribution of Ethiopian scholars to the African studies globally and Inter-university collaboration between Somaliland and Ethiopia. The panel will also discuss the role of higher education in the development of the Horn of Africa and wider Eastern region of Africa. This theme will be among the new features of the Book Fair that fits in to the theme of the year “connectivity”. The panel will stage discussion, famous Ethiopian Traditional Coffee ceremony and presentation of cultural arts and dances.

Panel Participants:
World-class Ethiopian scholars from different disciplines, including key participants of the academic quality assurance of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions, will lead the panel. These include Dr. Meron Zeleke, Independent Scholar, Mr. Tesfaye Zewege Vice president for Quality Assurance, Research and Publication in ADMAS university, Dr. Dereje Feyissa, Action aid and Professor Kidane Mengistaeb (Greater Horizon Horn Forum)

The traditional Coffee ceremony offered by Ethiopian community in Somaliland
Ethiopia, named as the land of Coffee, is not known only for producing it but has a unique coffee ceremony which has become one of the key tourism aspects performed all over the world as a trade mark of the nation. It has gained international acceptance for its splendid preparation and serving. Hence, the panel will be accompanied by this phenomenal ceremony which will be organized by the Ethiopian community in Somaliland.

Dr. Dereje Feyissa is an eminent Ethiopian scholar with a regional focus on the Horn of Africa. He holds a doctorate in Social Anthropology from Martin-Luther University, Halle, Germany. He has extensive experience as a Research Fellow of the 21st Century Centre of Excellence, Osaka University in Japan and at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany. Dr. Feyissa has extensive fieldwork experience and has conducted research on ethnicity and conflict in the Gambella region; Islam in contemporary Ethiopia; the political economy of development in the Afar region (Ethiopia); and on the Afar political culture as part of a comparative study of African political cultures in Guinea-Bissau, Libya, South Africa, Zambia and Ethiopia. He is the author and co-editor of several books on ethnic identity and borderland issues in the Horn of Africa. Additionally, Feyissa has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. He has also conducted extensive consultancy works for international organizations, inter alia projects on gender-based violence in Ethiopia for DFID. Currently Feyissa is an ILPI research staff, adjunct professor at Addis Ababa University and a Fellow of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation. Feyissa is also attached to ILPI Centre for African Studies as Africa Research Director.

Dr. Meron Zeleke is an Assistant professor of Social Anthropology and a Postdoctoral research fellow based at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies. She has MA in social Anthropology and BA in history from Addis Ababa University. Meron is the chair of Eastern African Chapter of African Good Governance network (AGGN) and has previously worked as a researcher at DFID and the World Bank. Dr. Meron has extensive fieldwork experience and has conducted research on various themes such as: Migration and Gender, Women in Developmental State, Religious Conflict in Ethiopia, customary institutions of conflict resolution. She has authored numerous articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes and has co-edited special issues in renowned journals. She has rich experience in working in interdisciplinary and international research team and has received numerous international visiting guest scholarships such as National University of Singapore, University of California and University of WakeForest. She has received several awards and research fellowships from different international academic institutions and has been awarded the prestigious award of Addis Ababa university president office, the Award for the young promising scholar in 2014.
Mr. Tesfaye Zewege is the Vice President of Quality Assurance, Research and Publication for Admas University Hargeisa. He has served as the Vice president for Research and Academics for several years at the main Admas University Ethiopia. His academic background is a mix of Business leadership which he got form University of South Africa UNASA Ethiopia Branch, and Masters of Art from Addis Ababa University in Literature. He has ample experience in Higher Education domain specially in the areas of curriculum development, training, community service and University -Industry relations. He has worked with several local and international NGOs in the area of Communications, academic guidelines development and strategic management document preparation and designing implementation strategies. Currently he is supporting the Ministry of Education of Somaliland in developing and offering training on TVET as an alternative skill development scheme.
Kidane Mengisteab is Professor of African Studies and Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University. The focus of his current research includes the relevance of ‘traditional’ institutions in Africa’s governance; the socioeconomic implications of the expansion of extractive industries and commercial farming in Africa; and alternative approaches to democratization in the African continent. He is author or editor of several books on Africa. His most recent book is titled The Horn of Africa: Hot Spots in Global Politics: London: Polity Press, 2015. Mengisteab’s co-edited book, ‘Traditional Institutions in Contemporary African Governance’ is in press and he is currently working on a book, titled Alternative Approaches to Democratization in Africa. Ph.D., International Studies, University of Denver