Amman International Book Fair to feature publishers from 19 countries

AMMAN — The 17th Amman International Book Fair will kick off on October 4 with a “specialised cultural programme”, Jordanian Publishers Union (JPU) Chairman Fathi Al Biss said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Biss said that the 10-day fair, which will host representatives from the United Arab Emirates as the guest of honour, will feature Amman as the 2017 capital of Islamic culture, under the patronage of his Majesty King Abdullah.

“The book fair is a cultural, educational, enlightening and professional event that reflects the civilised image of Jordan and enhances civil interaction between Jordanians and the Arab and international worlds,” Biss noted.

The organisers have increased the number of participating countries from 15 in 2016 to 19, represented by 350 printing houses, Biss said, noting that the limited number of participants was due to “space limitations”.

The event that will see the participation of publishers from Canada, the UK, China, India, the UAE, Turkey, Tunisia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China, Italy, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon,  Kuwait and Syria.

The annual book fair is organised by JPU, the Culture Ministry and the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), Biss noted. 

GAM will be funding the cultural activities of the programme, as part of its commitment to develop the cultural scene in Amman and promote the city as a cultural hub, Samer Kheir, GAM’s Cultural Department director, said.

Seminar and roundtables on Arabic drama, literature and the publishing industry will be among the activities proposed by the cultural programme, along with a film screening and poetry readings.

This year’s book fair will be focusing on children, offering friendly activities such as a creative writing workshop and storytelling activities, according to an organisers’ statement.

The UAE participants will offer an “exceptional” contribution with a poetical evening, four seminars and a Jordanian-Emirati Publishing Forum.

The Chinese movie “The Final Master” will be screened on October 6, with the attendance of its director, Xu Haofeng, the statement added. 

The opening ceremony will take place on October 4 at Amman Exhibition Park on Airport Road.