The Thirteenth International Palestine Book Fair will start next Thursday in Ramallah with the participation of 390 publishing houses, along with agencies of Palestinian, Arab, and foreign publishers. Palestinian Minister of Culture, Atef Abu Seif, stated in a press conference today, Tuesday, that this year's fair "is held in the 75th anniversary of the Nakba" with the slogan "From the Nakba to the State... We Remain."
He added, "This year, 390 Arab and local publishing houses from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia are participating, alongside agencies from foreign countries such as Turkey, the UK, Canada, and Italy." He continued, stating that the fair includes more than 61,000 book titles within a total area exceeding 6,500 square meters.
Abu Seif indicated that this edition "is considered the largest in the history of the Palestine Book Fair." He mentioned, "In addition to the publishing houses, the fair hosts four official pavilions from four Arab countries: Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Morocco, along with pavilions for several governmental institutions and local centers."
He noted that the fair comprises various cultural spaces, with the seminars and events hall this year named after the late writer Salma Jayyusi, "who contributed through her various writings to enriching the Arab and Palestinian library with references and works that will remain a landmark in our culture."
He stated that the program, which extends until September 17, includes two daily seminars on various topics with the participation of a large group of Palestinian scholars, researchers, writers, and intellectuals. These seminars will address issues related to Palestinian higher education, intellectual property rights, cinema, experiences of Palestinian theater, folk songs, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and ways to protect them, as well as Palestinian journalism.
The fair dedicates a section to the late Palestinian poet Zakaria Mohammed, who passed away last August at the age of 73, and another section for visual arts, which will feature an exhibition by one of the Palestinian artists daily, along with a theater area and activities for folk poetry and the folk dance of Dabka.
