RIYADH — The Riyadh International Book Fair 2022 kicked off at the Riyadh Front on Thursday. Around 1,200 publishing houses, representing 32 countries, are showcasing their titles at the grand fair, with the theme of "Cultural Chapters." Tunisia is the guest of honor at the festival of readers and fans of books, organized by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, under the Ministry of Culture. The Fair is one of the most important Arab book fairs in terms of the number of visitors, volume of sales, and the diversity of its cultural programs, as well as in terms of the participation of the most prominent Arab, regional and international publishing houses. The ten-day festival includes wide variety of cultural programs covering all aspects of creativity. The fair, which will run through until October 8, will open daily from 11 am to 12 am during all week days, except Friday during which the timing is from 2 pm to 12 am. There is a celebration of the Tunisian culture, through a series of events of Tunisian heritage and culture with the participation of several Tunisian writers, authors, and poets. The Saudi Ministry of Culture named Tunisia as the guest of honor, noting that its selection comes within the relations that bind the Saudi and the Tunisian people as part of the joint efforts of the two countries to enhance cooperation in the cultural field. Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs Hayat Guermazi confirmed that the Riyadh International Book Fair provides an opportunity to enhance cultural exchange between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. The festival also brings together literature, publishing, and translation officials from local and international institutions and companies with readers and those interested in books and publications. The event has a program that includes several qualitative cultural events, dialogue platforms, interactive lectures, poetry evenings, and cultural and artistic seminars. It also hosts several arts, reading, writing, and publishing seminars, workshops on bookmaking and translation, activities for children, and other accompanying programs. The most prominent Arab and international publishing houses and Arab and international writers, authors, and intellectuals are participating in the exhibition. The cultural program includes a selection of writers and authors who will talk to visitors about their books through a series of "Hadith al-Kitab" meetings, in addition to seminars, lectures, and dialogue sessions that host thinkers, intellectuals and creative writers on various topics. The cultural program also includes more than 150 workshops in various cultural fields, including live cooking workshops, in addition to cinematic shows, concerts, and accompanying theatrical performances.
