By Passant Hisham

KUWAIT: Under the auspices of Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, Minister of Information, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, the 46th Kuwait International Book Fair opened on Wednesday at Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref.

Scheduled to run until Dec 2, the book fair marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of NCCAL. In his statement, Mutairi emphasized the enduring legacy of the book fair in enriching the minds of people, aligning with the council’s strategy of organizing Kuwait’s cultural movement.

Mutairi highlighted the council’s active role in the significant book fair, hosting 486 publishing houses from 29 countries and presenting a collection of 171,000 books. He expressed hope that the exhibition would represent Kuwait’s true identity and culture.

Muhammad Al-Mughrabi, Head of the Culture Committee, shared insights with Kuwait Times into the diverse activities planned for the book fair, targeting audiences from children to adults with offerings in literature, philosophy, history and poetry. This year’s fair is set to be unique with its creative and interactive activities.

Kids engaged in fun activities at the International Book Fair -6

Al-Mutairi watches the kids as they spend their time at the book fair.

Visitors checking out books on display.

Kids browse through books.

Large crowds throng Kuwait International Fairgrounds to attend the 46th International Book Fair on Wednesday. 2

Visitors checking out books.

As the book fair commemorates both NCCAL’s 50th anniversary and the 46th edition of the exhibition, it aims to bridge the gap between the past and the future by selecting two main personalities. According to Mughrabi, the book fair selected a historical figure — Kuwaiti poet Fahd Al-Askar — as a representative of NCCAL’s 50th anniversary, honoring his poetic status. Contemporary figure Saad Al-Bazei, a Saudi critic, thinker and translator, represents the 46th edition of the fair.

In collaboration with the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Kuwait International Book Fair takes on a social cause, proposing all Arab publishing houses to allocate 3 percent of their sales profit to Gaza. Non-profit organizations are also participating and supporting this cause. Heba Al-Saadoun, Head of White Hands Volunteering Project, is collecting used books and selling them at nominal prices to fundraise for charity for Gaza.

Media expert Hamad Al-Ali, popularly known as Hamad Qalam, expressed his delight in participating in the book fair, emphasizing Kuwait as a gathering place for intellectuals from around the world. He noted the exhibition’s significance in targeting all generations, with a particular emphasis on nurturing the intelligence of children at an early stage of their lives.