The international book festival in Riyadh concluded its activities last Friday, successfully ending the ten-day event which had counted on various cultural activities as well as the exposure of various literary works. The festival which began on the 5th of March under the patronage of the Ministry of Information and Culture.The book expo exhibited over 200 thousand titles, covering almost all aspects of science and culture, in addition to electronic publications and governmental participation from organizations of interest in publication. More than 550 publishers from 22 countries had also participated in the expo, while this year's guest of honor, Japan, was given great focus and had it's publications on exhibit well in the center of the Expo Hall. The spirit At the opening ceremony, Iyad Madani, Minister of Information and Culture said the festival wouldn't have been possible if it had not been for the support and sponsorship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. Madani stressed the importance of inspiring people to work with more enthusiasm and the devotion felt by many to reaching broader cultural horizons. The minister considered the festival a strong cultural attempt to spread knowledge and science as well as the honor of receiving this year's new attendees.He also considered hosting Japan in this year's festival to be a great idea and a perfect chance for dialogue and cultural and scientific exchange, emphasizing the important relationships that bind the Kingdom with Japan. The Director General of General Diplomatic Affairs in the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Tadamichi Yamamoto, also assured that his country's participation in the festival reflects the strong bonds between his country and the Kingdom in various fields. Yamamoto also said that the relationships between his country and the Kingdom have exceeded areas of economic cooperation, taking the new shape of a strategic relationships in multiple fields since the visit of the Crown Prince, Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, to Japan in 2006 which was followed by the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Kingdom in April 2007.A number of the participants complimented the diversity of publications on display, considering the festival an important step to cultural life in KSA and also their hope of such an event to be counted as one of the worlds most important events in the upcoming few years, due to the support and dedication it receives from many organizations in the Kingdom.Cultural activity The festival was accompanied by many activities that included cultural lectures covering topics like calligraphy, Japan's relationships with the Arab world, Japanese mentality as well as other activities pertaining to Arab culture as a whole. Female literature, plagiarism and various other topics were also debated.Schoolchildren Majority of this year's attendance was comprised by schoolchildren, who were seen all over the halls, mostly during morning hours. But the main destination for these students was naturally the children's section, which besides containing a variety of children's books, had software and educational tools. This particular section of the fair was prepared by Prince Salman's Science oasis in cooperation with the Ministry of Information and Culture, providing many cultural and educational options for children, in addition to contests, reading programs, drawing activities and educational theater activities.The authors' platform in the expo witnessed the signing of a number of new releases by renowned authors.Ministry's wing The Ministry of Information and Culture's section in the expo was also an attraction. On display were various works of Saudi authors and intellectuals and demonstrated the Kingdom's drive to highlight Saudi culture and reveal its relevance and diversity.Some of the section's parts were used to display books published by literary clubs in the Kingdom. These clubs are largely considered to be the forerunners of Saudi cultural activities.The Section also contained corners that displayed a variety of old and new Saudi newspapers, allowing visitors to measure such cultural progress themselves.Different media publications that are prepared and published in several languages by the ministry were also prominent in the ministry's section. __
