15th version of Erbil International Book Fair kicks off
The Erbil International Book Fair in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Photo: SBI
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Erbil International Book Fair in the Kurdistan region of Iraq was launched on Wednesday in its 15th version entitled ‘Present and Civilization,’ with the participation of more than 350 publishing houses from 18 countries.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and several officials, headed by the former President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Masoud Barzani.
The exhibition, which is organized by Al Mada Foundation for Media, Culture and Arts, extends until March 18, with a program of activities that includes nine daily seminars, in addition to dialogue sessions, art exhibitions, poetry evenings and concerts.
The most prominent guests attending this version of Erbil International Book Fair are the Tunisian academic and novelist, Shukri Al-Mabkhout, the Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Issa, the Syrian writer Hashem Saleh, and the Emirati novelist Reem Al-Kamali.
The last version of Erbil International Book Fair was held in 2019, before it was stopped due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic.