President of the Republic Kais Saied, on Thursday, presided over the opening ceremony of the 36th edition of the Tunis International Book Fair, Chedli Klibi edition, organised from November 11 to 21 Tunis.
The President toured the Fair where he took note of the main books exhibited in the various stands.
He met participants in the Fair among the book professionals including writers and publishers.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Cultural Affairs, Hayet Ktat Guermazi and Mauritanian Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, Spokesperson for the Government, Mokhtar Ould Dahi, whose country is guest of honour of this edition.
A selection of 300 Arab and non-Arab publishing houses, 150 Tunisian exhibitors and 22 countries are participating in the Tunis International Book Fair 2021, which is also the edition of the manuscript in the digital age.
A pavilion housing an exhibition of manuscripts has been set up in honour of Mauritania, considered to be the depositary country of manuscripts. The pavilion is a place of entertainment, allowing visitors to discover aspects of traditional Mauritanian art and to attend folk performance.
Placed under the sign “The book, man’s best companion”, the 2021 edition of the Tunis International Book Fair is that of the materialisation of the Tunisian-Egyptian cultural cooperation agreement and the consecration of spaces for creation.
This 36th edition, chaired by Mabrouk Manai, is being held after a postponement since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It coincides with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Tunisian Ministry of Culture in recognition of its founder, the late Chedli Klibi, first Minister of Culture under the presidency of the late Habib Bourguiba.
The Tunis International Book Fair 2021 also pays tribute to Bechir Ben Slama, writer and politician, author of several publications in Arabic and translations.
The book market offers a parallel cultural programme of conferences, meetings and literary readings. A large part of the conferences is reserved for the works of Chedli Klibi.
In addition to public cultural institutions, such as the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Beit al-Hikma, the Translation Institute of Tunis and the National Library of Tunisia (BNT), the Tunis International Book Fair hosts stands of four international partner organisations.
These include the United Nations (UN), the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO).
The Fair hosts book and publishing professionals from 22 countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Oman, Palestine, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Hungary, Senegal, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Mauritania, Qatar, France and Iran.
Source: Tap News Agency