The curtain fell this evening on the second edition of Ramadan Book Fair, which was organized by the Ministry of Culture during the period from March 30 to April 9, at the headquarters of Darb Al-Saai in Umm Salal Area.
It is worth mentioning that (79) publishing houses and libraries from inside and outside Qatar participated in Ramadan Book Fair, including (18) publishing houses specialized in children’s literature and books, where (31) publishing houses have participated from Qatar, along with (48) publishing houses from (14) Arab and foreign countries including: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Mr. Jassim Ahmed Al-Buainain, the Director of Ramadan Book Fair, confirmed in a statement this evening that the second edition of the exhibition succeeded on all levels and standards, which prompted us to extend the exhibition until April 9, at the request of the public. In addition, he pointed out that the exhibition was a destination for book lovers of writers, intellectuals, and litrary writers who found among the shelves of publishing houses what they needed in terms of books that meet their needs, in addition to the accompanying activities such as religious seminars, discussion and cultural sessions, children’s workshops, games and plays that attracted families and children to enjoy the atmosphere of the exhibition.
Besides, he indicated that the participation of Qatari and Arab publishing houses enriched the exhibition and contributed to providing all kinds of books, whether literary or other cultural, scientific, religious, children’s books, and others.
He added by saying that the Ministry of Culture sought for the exhibition to be an opportunity for visitors to benefit from the accompanying cultural and religious events and the presence of a large number of publishing houses from Qatar and abroad, as well as the exhibition of national productive projects. He expressed his thanks to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and the Ministry of Social Development and the Family for their contribution to the success of the exhibition
The exhibition witnessed a rich cultural program represented in Ramadan Council (Majlis), which included (9) cultural seminars that were testimonies of the development of many sectors in the country that achieved the renaissance and leadership of the State of Qatar at the international level.
Ramadan Council presented many stories of revival by the most important contemporaries and participants in its development among the people of the country, in addition to the economic development in the country. The audience of the book fair during the council learned also about the leadership and efforts of the State of Qatar in the field of humanitarian and charitable work in the Arab and international arenas, as well as the fact that the State of Qatar is one of the largest supporters of the programs of the United Nations, and that it has its own mark in the quiet diplomatic field, and thus leading a global dialogue that achieves peace and supports the spread of tolerance values in international relations
Among the important cultural events that Ramadan Book Fair focused on in its second edition was poetry and its role in promoting values in the Qatari society, in addition to holding a special celebration on the occasion of the Garangao, which corresponds to the night of the middle of Ramadan.
Besides and within the framework of cultural events, the Libraries Department of the Ministry of Culture held a special celebration for the Arabic Manuscript Day, as it coincided with the exhibition, which is celebrated on April 4 of each year and was held under the slogan “Ethics of Science and Ethics of Demand”, as well as the launch of a group of publications for a number of Qatari and Arab publishing houses in the exhibition.
The Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, presented five seminars within the activities of the exhibition, all of which focused on the Muslim family. The seminars were about the importance of family building in Islam, a day with the family of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, the features of guardianship in fortifying the family, openness of knowledge and its impact on the family, rules in creating family harmony, and the mother between the responsibility of the job and the tasks of education.
The intellectuals praised the distinction of the cultural event with its diversity of activities, as it brought together in one place writers, cultural events, productions of Qatari families, and cultural and religious seminars, keeping in mind that the exhibition in its second edition witnessed a qualitative leap in terms of the number of participants from inside and outside the State of Qatar, which constituted an opportunity for Qatari and resident families to increase the demand for books and reading and to stimulate the cultural movement.