The Riyadh International Book Fair is ready to open on Tuesday with Senegal as the guest of honor at an event hosting a wide range of cultural activities and the presence of over 600 publishers from 27 countries. Abdullah Al-Jassir, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information for Information Affairs, said that all preparations were in place for the launch of the fair, which is held under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “We've been working as part of a team from government and non-governmental bodies to make this an impressive event reflecting the Kingdom's cultural progress, and not just a place to buy and sell books,” said Al-Jassir, who is also the Supervisor General of the fair. “The fair has a wide-ranging program of cultural activities, and Senegal, as the main guest, will present a series of symposia and lectures, mainly themed on Senegal's contribution to Arab and Islamic civilization and cultural diversity in Senegal,” he said. “The Senegal pavilion will also have on display Arabic manuscripts and information on Senegalese authors.” On the over 600 publishing houses from 27 countries represented at the Book Fair, Al-Jassir said that the ministry “would not practice any exclusionism on any national or foreign publishing house”. Al-Jassir added that the program also includes an “evening on the Kingdom's national dialogue and its role in strengthening the concepts of moderation and tolerance”. “Large numbers of writers and intellectuals the Kingdom and abroad have been invited to attend,” he said, noting that Culture Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja would inaugurate the fair with a ceremony to honor the “leading role in cultural development” of a “group of intellectuals who regularly attend Saudi cultural forums and events”.
