Nearly 950 publishers from 27 countries to attend Riyadh International Book Fair

RIYADH: The Riyadh International Book Fair has been scheduled for its launch on October 1 and around 950 prominent publishers from 27 countries will display their publications at the fair.

The countries include Saudi Arabia, the host, Iraq, the guest of honor, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Japan, India, Mauritania, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco Australia, US, Britain, France, Turkey, Italy, and Sweden.

After the previous session was postponed due to preventive measures taken by the health authorities in the Kingdom to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19, this year’s book fair has been all set to occur.

This year’s book fair will be held for the first time under the auspices of the Literature Publishing and Translation Commission now in charge of organising and supervising the most-awaited literary event in the Saudi capital that would bring together authors, publishers, and readers for ten days.

Reportedly, Iraq would be the Guest of Honor at the fair that will feature an unprecedented array of activities and events presented by 16 cultural sectors.

Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission His Highness Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al Saud said that this year’s selection of Iraq as the Guest of Honor was in appreciation of the brotherly relations between the Saudi and Iraqi people and in the framework of the joint efforts of the two countries to enhance cooperation in all fields, including the cultural field.

On the side-lines of the exhibition, the commission has scheduled a conference for publishers on October 4-5, the first of its kind in the Kingdom and expected to sustainably strengthen communication and enrich the regional scene.

The conference will be a starting point towards developing and strengthening the publishing sector locally and regionally, providing an ideal opportunity to build and consolidate relations between publishers at various local, Arab and international levels.

The conference will feature discussion sessions and workshops in publishing and in the process of transferring copyrights as well as in translation and its opportunities.

Through the new approach and policies, the commission seeks to confirm its interest in supporting modern publishing channels, including audio and digital books, and their technical and technological aspects.

The support is within the framework of the improvements made by the commission in its vision for the exhibition and ways to enhance it by fulfilling the requirements of the national strategy for culture.

The backing is also part of the drive to achieve the goals of the Ministry of Culture to make culture a way of life and to boost the level of its contribution to the national economic growth and to reinforcing the Saudi Kingdom’s status in the world.