Sunday 24 / November / 2024
MUSCAT: Satisfied with the success of the 27th Muscat International Book Fair, which concluded on Saturday, Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al Harrasi, Minister of Information, attributed it to the addition of several new programmes including cultural activities.
Al Harrasi, who is also the chairman of the main committee of the Muscat International Book Fair, said: “The inclusion of cultural activities added a creative dimension to the fair. Without these activities, the fair would just become a place for selling books and inking deals between publishers.”
The minister said: “The book fair’s main aim is to boost reading habits in the society. At the fair, we showcased various genres of books and supported the publishers. This time we introduced a lot of activities, which have been welcomed by the public. There was a committee for organising the cultural activities and the activities were planned in coordination with the concerned authorities.”
Al Harrasi added: We had the delight to host the Cultural Week of Bahrain as part of the activities of the 27th edition of Muscat International Book Fair. The week represented a qualitative addition to the activities. The Cultural Week of Bahrain included several activities which showcased many aspects including the country’s rich heritage and culture of Bahrain including poetry and songs.”
The minister said that he would “prefer to listen to the views of visitors to measure the success of the 27th edition of Muscat International Book Fair”. “Overall, I am quite satisfied with the tremendous efforts put in to make this edition of the fair a grand success,” he said.
At this edition of the book fair, a smart technology that included cameras, was also used to record the number of visitors.
