RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's pavilion at New Delhi World Book Fair 2024 (NDWBF) was inaugurated on Saturday. Saudi Arabia is participating as the guest of honor at the fair, which will be held at the Pragati Maidan in the Indian capital New Delhi from February 10 to 18. The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission is leading the Saudi participation in the fair along with the Heritage Commission, the Music Commission, the Film Commission, the Culinary Arts Commission, the Fashion Commission, and the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah). Mohammed Alwan, CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, stressed that the Saudi pavilion would focus on introducing various aspects of the Kingdom's cognitive and cultural richness to the Indian public. "Saudi culture and its creativity in their various forms have crossed borders to reach all over the world. The Kingdom seeks, through its participation in the NDWBF, to develop dialogue between cultures and highlight the uniqueness and creativity of its culture rooted in its ancient history," he said. Dr. Alwan highlighted that the cultural components participating in the Saudi pavilion will contribute to continuing the creative dialogue between peoples within the framework of the Ministry of Culture's keenness to enhance international cultural exchange as one of the goals of the National Strategy for Culture that it seeks to achieve under the umbrella of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia's participation in the book fair will witness the presentation of diverse cultural programs, including seminars and dialogue sessions, covering several aspects in the cultural, artistic, literary and cognitive fields, with the participation of writers from the Kingdom and local publishing houses to introduce national talents and creativity, as well as to evoke the ancient national culture. Two celebrations will also be held on the sidelines of the participation to introduce Saudi cuisine and the Kingdom's traditional performing arts. It is noteworthy that the New Delhi World Book Fair 2024 is one of the most prestigious international book fairs. It was launched for the first time in 1972. More than 600 international publishing houses that bring together the products of the world's cultures will participate in the mega book festival. The Fair is organized by National Book Trust of India, under the Ministry of Education. Saudi Arabia's participation comes within the framework of the strong fraternal relations between the two friendly countries, and in the context of the Ministry of Culture's keenness to enhance international cultural exchange as one of its strategic goals that it seeks to achieve under the umbrella of the Saudi Vision 2030.
