(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Qatari Publishers and Distributors Forum of the Ministry of Culture and Sports is set to launch the first edition of the Doha Publishing Fellowship Program (DPFP) on January 12, with the participation 49 Qatari, Arab and foreign publishers.
The two-day programme will be organised in collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Press. 'The DPFP provides an opportunity to Qatari publishers to meet with Arab and foreign counterparts, establishing professional relations between publishers and enhancing the concept of intellectual property in addition to bringing publishers from around the world to trade rights for books and further promoting cultural exchange, said Ibrahim Al Sayed, Director of Qatari Publishers and Distributors Forum.
Al Sayed also said, in a press conference held yesterday at the Ministry of Culture and Sports headquarters, that there are eight publishing houses participating from Qatar, 17 publishing houses from Arab countries, including Maghreb countries and other countries from other countries.
He also said the programme is an important, first-time step in Qatar and its aim is to increase the momentum of publishing, purchasing rights and exchanging experiences.
The programme works to exchange publishing among the participants in a way that serves the publishing industry in Qatar, which is still in its infancy, as publishing experts are hosted from countries that have a lot of experience in this field such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Arab Maghreb countries, as well as the participation of publishers from Turkey, US, France, South Africa, Italy and Argentina, he added.
Al Sayed also pointed out that during two-day programme, tours will be organised for the guest publishers to show them Qatari culture. 'We will take them to places like Souq Waqif and Katara.
The Executive Director of HBKU Press, Bachar Chebaro, said: 'There is a partnership between the Ministry of Culture and Sports and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Press to produce this programme. The QFPD and the HBKU Press have been mandated to follow this work.
On its importance, Chebaro said that the programme is important in building relationships between the participating publishers and exchanging rights between them to serve the Qatari authors because the author needs an agent for him for literary rights.
The Qatari Forum for Publishing and Distributors was established last year by Minister of Culture and Sports Decision No. (51) of 2019, with the aim of raising the professional level of the publishing and distribution industry; promoting joint cooperation between publishers and distributors; distributing the production of Qatari authors locally, regionally and internationally.
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