RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan has inaugurated the Riyadh International Book Fair 2021, welcoming writers, publishers and cultural figures and leaders from around the world.
This year’s edition sees the participation of Iraq as the guest of honor, and a number of Iraqi intellectuals and artists arrived on Thursday ahead of their presentations during the fair.
The opening ceremony, being held under the patronage of King Salman, was attended by Iraq’s Minister of Culture Hassan Nadhem, and Egyptian Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah separately met with his Iraqi and Egyptian counterparts on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah said the Kingdom was keen to enhance cooperation with Iraq and Egypt, in light of the cultural ties that bind them throughout history, stressing the importance of joint work to enhance the role of literature as an important cultural repository.
More than a thousand local, regional and international publishing houses, representing 28 countries, will be in attendance at this year’s fair, which gets under way from Friday until Oct. 10.
A publishers’ conference organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture — and the first of its kind to be in the Kingdom — will take place on Oct. 4 and 5.
The conference will discuss conditions of the publication industry in the Arab world and ongoing efforts to develop the industry to reach competitive levels internationally across 12 panel discussions with the participation of 42 speakers from Saudi Arabia and around the world.
The new edition of the fair will be held under the theme “New Destination, New Chapter.”
Hameed Younis, writer and representative of Iraq’s Ministry of Culture, said: “Saudi culture is an extension of Iraqi culture and vice versa. This is why we are trying to introduce Iraqi books to Saudi Arabia and bring in Saudi books to Iraq. We are also trying to ensure coordination between the two ministries of culture in order to revive both and exchange expertise.”
Dr. Ahmed Al-Zubaidy, editor in chief of Al-Adib Al-Iraqi magazine and professor of Arabic literature at Mustansiriyah University, said: “Herein lies the ‘comeback’ of the true Iraqi identity, the Arab identity. For Iraqi intellectuals to meet their Saudi counterparts, not only because of their cultural ties but also thanks to their common identity and social ties. This is a pioneer, daring step in renewing these ties.” Dr. Nadhem “informed us that he has agreed with his Saudi counterpart to hold a Saudi Cultural Week in Iraq. This is a very good initiative that will be a continuation of what our ancestors have created,” he added.
