The eighth edition of the Lebanon International Book Fair was launched here today, with the participation of the State of Qatar, represented by a pavilion for the Qatari Ministry of Culture and Dar Al-Watad, and with the participation of more than 155 private and official Lebanese publishing houses, representing 277 publishers from Arab and foreign countries. The exhibition continues until October 22nd.
The exhibition was attended by, His Excellency, Sheikh/ Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Lebanon, in addition to the presence of representatives of the Ministries of Foreign and Arab Culture.
The Minister of Culture in the caretaker government of Lebanon, Judge Muhammad Wissam Al-Murtada, said in his speech, (Lebanon is the homeland and the message, Beirut is the eternal capital of thought, and the Lebanon International Book Fair is the title. This is the slogan of this celebration, so let us carry it throughout its days, and after its end until the arrival of its new season.)
For her part, Professor Hanaa Al-Asmakh, Head of the Manuscripts, Periodicals and Rare Books Department at the Libraries Department at the Qatari Ministry of Culture, said: (The Ministry’s participation falls within the framework of enhancing cultural exchange between Lebanon and the State of Qatar, and the Ministry of Culture’s participation also aims to encourage Qatari intellectual production in more publications from the Ministry of Culture. Culture in several fields, including poetry, literature, and law.)
Al-Asmakh explained that the Ministry of Culture’s pavilion at the exhibition contains multiple books on poetry, literature, law, and stories for children.
The exhibition aims to restore Lebanon’s pioneering role in transforming the book fair into an occasion through which cultural references regain their role and influence through the means of publishing and books and through activities that provide them with easy and organized means of movement of books in various local, Arab, and international directions. The exhibition also aims to encourage publishers, distributors, and cultural institutions. Educational efforts to expand the publishing and translation movement, activate the fundamental role of eliminating reluctance to read, and encourage reading pioneers by involving thinkers, writers, publishers, book distributors and libraries, and influencers on social networking sites, and developing programs and foundations covering all areas and fields to keep pace with developments in the modern era in various fields.
The exhibition will hold several meetings and dialogues between publishers, readers, and those responsible for culture and education to enhance interaction, expand the circle of reading and publishing, and find solutions to expand the scope of local and Arab distribution. The exhibition, organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and the Lebanese Publishers Union, will also be accompanied by a cultural program hosting Lebanese, Arab, and international writers and poets.