(MENAFN- Asdaf News)
Dhahran – Asdaf News:
Under the slogan 'Reading Bridges Worlds', the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra ) – an initiative by Saudi Aramco – will be launching the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Reading Enrichment Program (iRead ), which aims to promote the culture of reading and celebrate knowledge within society. The event will feature 10 readers from across the Arab World competing in the Essays Track and eight others in the Debates Track, during a ceremony scheduled for 11 and 12 October 2024 at the Ithra Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The event will be attended by two Nobel Laureates in Literature: Dr. Abdulrazak Gurnah and Olga Tokarczuk, who won the honors in 2021 and 2018 respectively. Alongside these distinguished guests, many readers, authors and literary figures from the Arab World will participate in an accompanying cultural program. This includes an interview with Saudi critic Abdullah Al-Ghathami, a fireside chat with Algerian author Ahlam Mosteghanemi, a recital by Sudanese poet Mohamed Abdelbari, the Kutubiya book swapping exhibition and several book signings.
This year's competition received an impressive 106,000 submissions from across the Arab World. Of these, 10 participants from seven countries – Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Iraq – have advanced to the finals. They will deliver their final presentations in a bid to win the 'Reader of the Year' title. The attendees will also get the chance to vote for the 'Audience's Favorite Reader' award.
“The iRead competition is a shining example of Ithra's pioneering role in promoting reading as a vital tool for enriching the knowledge of future generations. This transformative experience enhances the research, reading, writing, editing, publishing and public speaking skills of all participants,” commented Ithra Cultural Advisor, Tareq Alkhawaji.
He added,“We are thrilled to see such a large and diverse group of applicants from all over the Arab World participate in the ninth edition of iRead. This success reflects the competition's position in developing and empowering not just Saudi, but Arab talents in critical reading and creative writing. It also solidifies Ithra's mission as an Arabic content creator and underscores its goal of inspiring 100,000 young men and women by 2030.”
Now in its ninth year, the iRead competition has seen participation from over 225,000 individuals, delivering 48,000 hours of educational content and featuring more than 600 speakers from 30 countries.
TagsAlgeria Egypt Ithra Morocco Saudi Arabia Syria Tunisia
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