The organization of largest book fair in Doha’s history amid pandemic under well-planned and executed precautionary measures is really a gift for citizens and residents who have found a great opportunity to escape from stressful life routines towards light of literature and knowledge for a greater emotional comfort.
The participation of a number of countries in the fair and presence of books in different languages will play a role in bringing different civilizations closer to one another.
The book fair, inaugurated by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani on Thursday, is being organised under strict COVID-19 preventive measures.
It features 845 pavilions, 437 publishing houses, including 319 Arab and 45 foreign publishing houses, and 73 publishing houses for children’s books.
Several cultural activities and workshops are also lined-up for the Fair, which will run until January 22. The Fair also features the Creative Children’s Garden, a platform to broadcast children’s programmes and activities, enabling them to enjoy the book fair activities in their homes.
Nine embassies, including the US, Palestine, Russia, Italy, France, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Syria, and South Korea, are participating in this year’s event.
The GCC pavilion is show-casing publications, books, guidebooks, and laws issued by the GCC Secretariat.
At the conclusion of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture, and as Qatar and US celebrate 50 years of bilateral relations, the US Embassy is participating as the guest of honour for the said fair.
The Doha International Book Fair 2022 is being held to showcase the human journey of exploration and learning. It introduces the latest and most recent publications that reflect human’s creative and reflective knowledge across all fields. The fair offers a window of knowledge to researchers, innovators, scientists, and writers to develop societies and improve lives.
Minister of Culture, H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, affirmed that 31st Doha International Book Fair is a great opportunity to promote the culture of reading and move towards knowledge and science.
The Minister said that this edition, despite being held in exceptional circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the largest so far in the history of the exhibition, with the participation of 430 exhibitors from 37 countries distributed over 845 pavilions, pointing out that the exhibition which is in its 50th year after its beginning in 1972, represents the cultural leadership of the State of Qatar, and a continuation of its giving in the dissemination of culture and knowledge.
