Minister of Culture Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh affirmed, during the expanded meeting of the Cultural Committee of the Amman International Book Fair, that the 25th edition (Silver Jubilee) represents an exceptional milestone centered on highlighting "the Jordanian narrative."
اضافة اعلان
The minister explained, during the meeting held at the conference hall of the Royal Cultural Center, that this edition reflects deep attention to the national narrative and its manifestations in the story of the land and its people, in response to the vision of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, noting that documenting national history and narrative is closely tied to books.
Al-Rawashdeh explained that the cultural program represents the fair's central focus, serving as a platform for intellectual dialogue, a space for showcasing new publications, and highlighting the role of Jordanian creatives, academics, and researchers, stressing the importance of the strategic partnership with the Publishers Association, the Greater Amman Municipality, and national institutions in presenting the cultural scene in its best light.
The minister noted the special significance of this edition in choosing the Syrian Arab Republic as the fair's guest of honor, in celebration of its rich cultural and heritage history, extending an invitation to all national institutions, universities, schools, and cultural bodies to attend the opening ceremony, which will be held at the Royal Cultural Center hall, and to engage with the fair's activities, artistic programs, and children's events.
For his part, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Director General of the National Library Department, Prof. Nidal Al-Ayasrah, presented a critical and organizational assessment drawing on his field experience, calling for re-evaluating the effectiveness of activities by focusing on quality rather than quantity.
Al-Ayasrah stressed the need to raise questions about the extent to which publishing houses are keeping pace with digital developments and moving beyond reliance on traditional print publishing, as well as highlighting issues of intellectual property and children's literature.
He also proposed creating a website providing lists of participating books in advance, to supply universities and libraries with them in order to facilitate the selection and acquisition process before the fair opens.
For his part, Chairman of the Jordanian Publishers Association Jaber Abu Fares expressed his appreciation for the Ministry of Culture's and the Greater Amman Municipality's commitment to the fair's success, noting that the publishing industry is going through a critical phase due to print and digital piracy and declining funding, which requires combined official and institutional efforts to support Jordanian publishers and writers.
Abu Fares explained that the cultural program has been expanded to include all forms of culture poetry, thought, children's literature, and visual arts while giving young writers and new creatives a broad opportunity to appear on the fair's platform.
Abu Fares confirmed that the full Syrian cultural program has been adopted within the fair's activities, noting the Association's aspiration to establish a permanent headquarters and venue with ample space to meet the needs of future editions in the capital, alongside the Association's readiness and intentions to bring book fairs to various governorates.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
