Featuring around 500,000 titles, of which 13,000 are new
KUWAIT: The 44th Kuwait International Book Fair opened yesterday at the International Fairground in Mishref. Apart from the thousands of books displayed in halls 5, 6 and 7, many cultural activities are accompanying the fair that is on till Nov 30, 2019. Nearly 500 publishers representing 30 Arab and foreign countries are participating in the fair.
"This year's fair includes around 500,000 titles, out of which 13,000 are new. For the first time, the book fair this year has a foreign guest of honor - the United Kingdom. This is on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of friendly relations between Kuwait and UK," said Minister of Information and State Minister for Youth Affairs Mohammed Al-Jabri during the opening ceremony.
The event includes a variety of activities. "Various cultural activities will be held starting today. These include lectures, symposiums, poetry events, workshops and visual shows at the Cultural Cafe. In addition, there is an art and photography exhibition in halls 5 and 6. The activities are for both adults and kids as well," said Dr Tahani Al-Adwani, Acting Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL).
"The International Book Fair is a great opportunity to find different books from all fields and in different languages under one roof. Also the accompanying activities are very useful so the visitors should not miss it. The activities are held daily; some are in the morning period, while the majority are held in the evening," added Adwani.
Director of Kuwait International Book Fair Saad Al-Anezi said NCCAL is not responsible for banning books from the fair as this is the duty of the ministry of information. "I can say that less than 1 percent of books were banned. This signifies the commitment of publishing houses to local laws. NCCAL is merely the organizer of this event and not the inspector of publications," he pointed out. "Apart from the participating publishing houses, 34 public organizations and 46 public institutions from Kuwait and Arab countries are also participating in this fair. Furthermore, a caricature exhibition, formative arts exhibition and a museums and monuments exhibition are also being held," Anezi added.
By Nawara Fattahova