(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Nov 16 (KUNA) -- The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) announced Sunday, the launch of the 48th Kuwait International Book Fair, to be held next Wednesday under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, from November 19 to 29, at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref and will feature 611 publishing houses from 33 international countries.
In a press conference at Mishref fairgrounds, Assistant Secretary-General for Culture at NCCAL Aisha Al-Mahmoud, stated that this year's 48th edition of the fair coincides with Kuwait's designation as the Arab Capital of Culture and Media for 2025.
Al-Mahmoud explained that Oman is the guest of honor this year in recognition of its cultural role, Mohammad bin Al-Zubair, retired advisor to the Sultan for Economic Planning Affairs and founder of Bait Al-Ummal, was chosen as the fair's cultural figure in appreciation of his distinguished career in promoting Arab culture.
This year's events and activities are being held across three cultural platforms, the first is the "Cultural Cafe," an expanded platform for Arab cultural dialogue, the second is the, "Culture Pavilion," a space reflecting modern cultural diversity, and the third is the "Children's Culture Pavilion," offering an interactive educational environment that combines creativity, knowledge, and technology.
She noted that NCCAL has launched for the first time the "Kuwait International Book Fair Award for Unpublished Works" and the "Best Review Competition for the World Creativity Series", and that the "Creative Students Award" will also be distributed at the book fair.
Al-Mahmoud added that the full program details will be available on NCCAL's social media platforms.
For his part, the fair's director Khalifa Al-Rabah, stated that the 48th edition of the fair is being held under the slogan "Capital of Culture... Homeland of Books."
He added that three halls (5, 6, and 7) were designated for the exhibition, Hall 5 was allocated to Arab publishing houses, Hall 6 to Kuwaiti, Gulf, and other international publishers, and Hall 7 to government agencies, regional organizations, and public benefit organizations, and that the exhibition lobby was also dedicated to children's book publishers.
Al-Rabah stated that the number of registered books reached 287,000 titles, including 35,066 new titles, he also noted the participation of 84 publishing houses in the Arab Publishers Professional Program, which aims to develop and grow the publishing industry, and in the "I Am the Author" project, which supports and encourages children in writing.
Regarding services offered to the public, Al-Rabah said that the exhibition management offers a 25% discount on any book at the exhibition, in addition to automated information centers and interactive screens are available for the public, visitors can also search the exhibition website via their mobile phones or by using the QR codes located at the participating publishers' booths. (end)
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