To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of its first edition, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani inaugurated today, Thursday, the 31st Doha International Book Fair, held under the slogan “Science is Light” at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
The current edition of the book fair has the participation of 37 countries, while the number of direct publishers is 430, and the number of agencies is 90 indirect agencies.
This session is of special importance, as the exhibition has completed 50 years of its life, since its first launch in 1972, as it is the first exhibition of its kind to be held in Qatar and the entire Gulf region.
The United States of America is the guest of honor for the current session of the exhibition, against the backdrop of the Qatar-America Year of Culture 2021, where this hosting will witness a presentation of American culture and an introduction to intellectual production through the various exhibition activities.
The Qatari Ministry of Culture promised to present a distinct version of the exhibition in terms of quantity, form and quality, pointing out that the design of the exhibition pavilions came in a unique creative manner, and this makes visiting the exhibition a real opportunity to learn about everything new in the world of creativity, thought, literature and science, in addition to the fact that the number of participants in This year’s exhibition is the largest and largest compared to previous editions in terms of participation of countries and publishing houses as well.
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The current edition of the exhibition is characterized by wide participation from various state institutions, within the framework of partnership with them, through the establishment of reading workshops and various cultural events, in addition to the participation of many cultural institutions that work to enrich the intellectual and cultural content of the exhibition, which embraces all segments of society of different ages and languages.
The Qatar National Library pavilion is one of the most important corridors of the exhibition. Visitors to the pavilion can explore a distinguished collection of the collection’s heritage and watch live performances of the digitization process and its various stages. Throughout its participation in the exhibition, the library organizes many activities and events directed to the exhibition’s go-to families.
On January 18, the library will hold a workshop entitled “What are we listening to tonight?” On the skills of telling stories and interesting stories to children and grandchildren. On the same day, the audience of the exhibition can participate in a lecture “How to choose the right book for your child?” Which highlights the criteria for selecting stories and books that are appropriate for children of different age groups.
On January 20, the library will organize an educational workshop entitled “The characteristics of the development of the gifted child and the role of society in caring for it” to introduce the audience of the exhibition’s visitors to the stages of development of the gifted child and its characteristics and how to deal with it, and to highlight the role of society in caring for the gifted and supporting them in order to benefit from their talents and potentials.
opportunity to learn
Director of Research Affairs and Learning Services at Qatar National Library, Abeer Al-Kuwari, said that the Qatar Library is proud of its renewed participation in the Doha International Book Fair, noting that the library’s activities in this year’s exhibition are directed to various segments of society, including visitors to the exhibition and patrons.
Al-Kuwari stressed that the Doha Book Fair is a great opportunity for the community to learn together in an environment that supports science, calling on the public to participate in various events during the days of the exhibition.
As for Qatar Museums, it will participate in the exhibition with its international design award-winning publications and its unique art catalogs. The Qatar Museums pavilion includes a wide range of books that help explore Qatar’s culture, heritage, history, and its rich and unique collections of Orientalist art, modern art and Islamic art, as well as Sports and children’s stories.
Various activities
Among the cultural museums’ activities at the exhibition, a seminar entitled “Museums and the Preservation of Human Heritage… The Role of Museums and Their Initiatives” was attended by guests from the Children’s Museum, Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, the Islamic Museum, and Qatar National Museum, to talk about the most important developments and plans to open future museums in the country.
A discussion of the book “Sign: A Century of Modern Art” will also be held in the presence of guests from the Arab Museum of Modern Art within the activities of the cultural salon, as well as a series of interactive workshops for young visitors to the exhibition, including reading stories about art, sports and environmental conservation.
The exhibition management takes all precautionary measures to ensure the safety and health of everyone inside the exhibition corridors, as entry and exit procedures will ensure safety, and the capacity of the exhibition organization will not exceed 30%.
For visitors to enter the exhibition, previous registration is required via an electronic link, and its visit will be limited to those vaccinated against the Corona virus, including children aged 12 years and over who have taken the second dose 14 days, or those who have recovered from infection for a period of no less than 12 months.
Some of the lectures and in-person interventions were transferred to the virtual system, in light of the repercussions of the Corona virus and the acceleration of the spread of its variants.