DIBF Director on achievements, statistics of 32nd session

The 32nd Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which featured 37 countries and 505 publishing houses and Saudi Arabia as the guest of honour, concluded yesterday after attracting about 300,000 visitors and hosting more than 500 cultural activities and launch of 198 books across 10 days, director Jassim Ahmed al-Buainain said.
"About 15,000 children who visited the exhibition enjoyed the activities and events especially prepared for them in the "Children's Oasis". It included 10 sections with artistic workshops, spaces for children's activities, and a puppet theatre. We were very pleased with the great demand by children and families for the children's spaces in the DIBF and the special atmosphere they experienced throughout the days of the exhibition
“The DIBF has always represented a pioneering cultural event and a gathering forum for intellectuals, creators, and those interested in reading and books,” al-Buainain pointed out while observing that the Ministry of Culture was interested in organising a distinct edition of the DIBF in terms of its layout, quality and quantity, which were admired by the various segments of visitors to the exhibition.
From Qatar, many national authorities participated in the DIBF, such as the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the National Human Rights Committee, the Supreme Judicial Council, the National Cyber Security Agency, the Planning and Statistics Authority, Al Jazeera Network, Al Rayyan TV and Qatar National Library. The embassies of South Korea, Japan, Russia, the US, Indonesia, Palestine, Syria and Azerbaijani were among the participants.
The Saudi Arabian pavilion presented a cultural experience that reflected the rich heritage and authentic culture of the Kingdom. The activities showcased at the Saudi pavilion included a package of seminars, interactive lectures, dialogue sessions, poetry evenings, and workshops that covered several aspects in the fields of culture, art, literature and knowledge.
On show were a wide variety of publications and a collection of archaeological replicas and figures discovered in the Kingdom, as well as live presentations of handicrafts.
The DIBF also witnessed participation from the Unesco, Oman's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth; the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of Morocco; the Algerian Ministry of Culture; the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature of Kuwait; the Palestinian Ministry of Culture; the Abu Dhabi Centre for the Arabic Language; the Sharjah Book Authority; the Egyptian General Book Authority; the General Book Authority of Yemen; the Iranian House of Arts and Books; the Jordanian Publishers Union; and the Emirates Publishers Association.
The DIBF organized 24 training workshops in the Thought Hall and 24 training workshops in the Knowledge Hall, in addition to a number of activities in the Children's Oasis, with 87 theatre performances, in addition to the 116 activities of the Cultural Salon, which included lectures, seminars and book launches, and 37 seminars in the main theater, and other cultural events such as Al-Mutanabi Street, which included six libraries and live cooking performances.