The Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali (third left), with Franck Gellet, Ambassador of France to Qatar (second left), and other officials at the Doha International Book Fair press conference at the Ministry of Culture and Sports,
With the participation of 335 publishing houses from 31 countries, the 30th edition of Doha International Book Fair will be held from January 9 to 18 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
The Fair will be held under the slogan “Do you then not ponder?”, under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
It is being organised by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, under the supervision of the Qatar Cultural and Heritage Event Center. The center is keen to utilise all its potentials to ensure the success of the upcoming edition of the exhibition.
“Around 335 publishing houses will participate in the event, among them Arab and foreign publishers and others for children books. There will be 797 pavilions in addition to participation by a number of embassies,” said Jassem Al Buainain, Director of Doha International Book Fair, in a press conference held yesterday at the Ministry of Culture and Sports headquarters.
The press conference was attended by the Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali; Deputy Chairman of the Cultural Committee of the Doha International Book Fair, and the Ambassador of France to Qatar, Franck Gellet, and many other officials of the Ministry.
Al Buainain pointed out that the number of countries participating in this edition of the Doha International Book Fair reaches to 31 countries, which reflects that large Arab and foreign participation, with the first time participation from Belgium and Australia.
He also said that there will be discounts on books up to 25 percent, as agreed with the publishing houses. The number of the pavilions of Arabic books is 559, represented by 228 publishing houses, and the number of foreign pavilions is 91 pavilions represented by 35 foreign publishers, while the number of publishing houses for children reaches 72 publishing houses, he added.
Al Buainain said that the Fair coincides with the launch of the Qatar-France Year of Culture 2020, which will give a greater chance for a significant presence of French participants in the fair and its diverse cultural presence and also to promote mutual understanding, recognition and appreciation between both sovereign nations. France is the guest of honor at Doha International Book Fair 2020.
Regarding the demand of the Fair, the Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, said that all numbers were on increase whether publishing houses or the number of pavilions therefore the organising committee had rejected participation of some publishers and chose only the best ones.
“In Qatar, there are no intellectual or political restrictions against any book, or any publisher or writer, and we did not reject any book except few books where there is racial abuse or the books which promote racism. Otherwise, we would have accepted them. Even some writers whose works had criticized Qatar but we allowed their books.”
For his part, Radi Al Hajri, said: “We in the Cultural Committee of the Fair will held 21 workshops, poetry activities, French musical activity, and other activities aimed at developing cultural advancement and promoting culture.”
The embassy of the United States of America, Embassy of Japan, Embassy of Palestine, Embassy of Kyrgyzstan, Embassy of the Philippines and Syrian Embassy will participate in the event, he said.
Regarding the timings of the Fair, Al Hajri said that the exhibition will be held from 9am until 9pm, except Friday when it will remain open from 3pm until 10pm, while on Thursday, activities will be held from 9am to 10pm.
In this edition, the Qatari participation is the largest from the private Qatari publishing houses, with the participation of Lusail Publishing and Distribution House, Rosa Publishing House, Zakrit Publishing House, Al-Watad for Books and Publications and others, Al Hajri noted.
The Ambassador of France to Qatar, Franck Gellet said: “I would like to express our great pleasure in hosting the France as the guest of cultural honour for the 30th Doha International Book Fair.”
The Ambassador thanked all those responsible for the Doha International Book Fair in its current edition, headed by the Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali.
The French Ambassador announced the cultural exchange between Qatar and France in this exhibition and the selection of the enlightenment as the title of this exhibition.
A number of ministries and governmental institutions will participate in the exhibition, including the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs; the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; the Ministry of Commerce and Industry; the Planning and Statistics Authority; the Police College; Qatar University; the Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel; Qatar Museums; Hamad Bin Khalifa University for Publishing; the NHRC, and Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Also within the framework of exchanges with Gulf exhibitions, pavilions from GCC countries will participate in the Fair from Kuwait and Oman.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, a number of various activities will be held that enrich the Fair from various aspects. The activities of the “Qatar School” include a set of various programmes and activities, which combine theatre, and drawing.
Around 13 training workshops will be held within the Fair activities. The Fair management is keen to provide all facilities and services for the visitors of the exhibition. Services to be offered at the Fair include metal carts for carrying books, porter service, restaurants and cafes, ATMs and other services.
The Doha International Book Fair is considered as one of the largest international book fairs held in the region due to the great demand witnessed in Arab and foreign countries, which has been increasing since the establishment of its first edition in the year 1972.
