Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — More than 1,000 publishing houses and local and international agencies from 22 countries are showcasing their titles in over 450 pavilions at the Jeddah International Book Fair 2024 that kicked off at Jeddah Superdome on Thursday. Several Saudi government agencies and Saudi and Arab cultural bodies and institutions are participating in the 10-day-long festival of books. The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission is organizing the event, which will run through Dec. 21, and it is open to all free of charge.

The book fair features celebration of the Year of the Camel, in recognition of the cultural value it represents in the lives of the people of the Arabian Peninsula since the dawn of history. Saudi Arabia designated 2024 as the Year of the Camel in celebration of camel as the national symbol having a unique cultural value in the lives of Saudi people up to the present day.

An exclusive pavilion is dedicated to camel, with shedding light to camel's historical and cultural value, and enrich the visitor's knowledge through several murals with its names, and the places where it was mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as in poems that Arabs have sung about it throughout the ages.

The exhibition includes diverse cultural programs, including more than 100 activities, interspersed with many lectures, seminars and workshops, being led by more than 170 specialists, in addition to an interactive area dedicated to children, offering cultural programs directed at young people in the fields of writing, authorship, theater, animation, and various interactive activities, through 40 diverse activities.

The Jeddah Book Fair is a cultural window that brings together local and international literary, publishing and translation makers with readers and book fans. In addition to its cultural program, which includes dialogue platforms, interactive lectures and workshops covering the fields of art, reading, writing, publishing, bookmaking and translation, there is an opportunity to attend book signing sessions with prominent authors and participate in panel discussions on literary and cultural topics.

This includes a cultural theatre. The creative space will host daily performances, combining literature, art and music. Visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in educational workshops focusing on the art of writing and publishing, catering to the tastes of all age groups.

As for kids aged between 2 and 12, they have a dedicated space full of creativity and fun. From handicraft workshops to interactive storytelling, little ones can have a fun time while learning and discovering the joy of reading. There are interactive sessions designed just for them. For those captivated by graphic storytelling, the Manga corner invites visitors to explore distinctive graphic stories and comics.

There is also a corner for the Saudi authors to introduce their latest publications to the visitors and fans, as well as a special area for visitors for discounted books, which comes within its efforts to encourage reading and make it available to everyone through multiple choices, reinforced by free reading areas.

Director General of the General Administration of Publishing Dr. Abdullatif Al-Wasil said that the Jeddah Book Fair reflects the interest of the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission in supporting, developing and spreading culture and literature in the Kingdom. He stressed the pioneering role of the exhibition, which highlights the efforts of local, Arab and international literature and writers, through community events and activities with international standards, and creating interactive opportunities for its visitors in various artistic and literary formats, leading to enhancing the status of Jeddah Governorate as a historical cultural center.

The Jeddah Book Fair is the third exhibition held during the year 2024, after the Riyadh International Book Fair, which concluded its activities last October, and the Madinah Book Fair, which closed its activities last August.

The Jeddah Book Fair 2024 receives its visitors daily from 11 in the morning until 12 in the midnight, except for Friday during which the timing will be from 2 pm to 12 pm.