Under the Patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, The Ministry of Culture and Sports holds the 30th edition of Doha International Book Fair in the period from January 9 to 18, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).

The Fair, which adopts the slogan "Do you then not contemplate" is inspired by a verse from the Holy Quran, is organized under the supervision of the Qatar Cultural and Heritage Event Center of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. 31 countries are participating in this edition of the Doha International Book Fair with the first time participation of Belgium and Australia, besides the guest of honor "France".

To announce the details of the exhibition, the Ministry of Culture and Sports held a press conference today in the presence of HE Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali; officials of the Ministry and HE Ambassador of the French Republic in Qatar Franck Gellet.

HE the Minister said remarks that Doha International Book Fair has become a prominent international position, and has witnessed a qualitative shift in recent years as it has become a station for knowledge lovers, through serious participation of distinguished publishers and great interaction between intellectuals from Qatar and abroad. He that the exhibition in its 30th edition, in particular, achieved record numbers in terms of publishers and countries.

At the same time, he stressed that the Ministry of Culture and Sports has opened the door for everyone to participate, including publishers from the blockade countries. No participation application has been submitted from publishing houses from these countries, although there are books for authors from them sold at the exhibition, HE the Minister said adding that the ministry completely separates culture and politics.

HE the Minister of Culture and Sports said that the exhibition is not a place for selling the book as much as it is a place for contemplation, as shown in its slogan, and it also hosts elite thinkers from different continents of the world.

He explained that this new edition comes to reinforce the trend towards raising societal awareness and giving science its central role in defining human behavior, pointing out that the exhibition this year focuses mainly on children, and suits all members of the family that have been the focus of attention of those responsible for organizing the fair.

In response to a question by Qatar News Agency about the Ministry of Culture and Sports' attention to the publishing industry and the Qatar publishing houses, HE Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali affirmed that Qatari publishers enjoy special support from the Ministry of Culture and Sports and more importantly, the general trend in Qatar is to strive for Doha to be a major point in the publishing and book exchange industry in the region. This edition seeks to develop the publishing industry by establishing the Doha Publishers Fellowship Program, he added.

His Excellency pointed out that the new date for the Book Fair was approved after a comprehensive study of the calendar of events for the country, especially the celebrations of the National Day, and the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, in addition, public and private schools tests.

For his part, HE Ambassador of the French Republic in Qatar Franck Gellet extended thanks to the Ministry for selecting France as the guest of cultural honor for the 30th Doha International Book Fair.

"I would like to express our great pleasure in France being the guest of cultural honor at the 30th Doha International Book Fair," he said and announced the launch of cultural exchange between Qatar and France, and adopting "Enlightenment" as the topic for this participation in the event.

Speaking at the press conference to announce the event, Jassem Al Buainain, director of Doha International Book Fair, said that the exhibition activities are scheduled to continue over a period of ten days like the previous editions to give a great opportunity for the visitors to experience a distinguished cultural experience, and to allow publishers to display their diverse cultural releases.

He said that around 335 publishing houses are participating in the event from both Arab and foreign countries besides some children's books. The pavilions booked at the fair amounted to 797 pavilions, in addition to a number of embassies of countries including the USA, Japan, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, and Syria, who have booked their stalls. The exhibition will be held from 9 am until 9 pm, except for Friday from 3 pm until 10 pm, while on Thursday it will be held from 9 am to 10 pm.

Al Buainain pointed out that 31 countries are participating in this edition of the Doha International Book Fair with the first time participation of Belgium and Australia, besides the guest of honor "France".

The number of the pavilions for Arabic books is 559, representing 228 publishing houses, and the number of foreign pavilions is 91 representing 35 foreign publishing houses, while the number of publishing houses for children is 72.

Source: Qatar News Agency - QNA

Image Source: Doha International Book Fair/Facebook

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