| UAE Guest of Honor at Khartoum International Book Fair |
 Sudanese Minister of Culture, Alsamoul Khalfallah, announced that the United Arab Emirates will be the guest of honor at the 5th session of the Khartoum International Book Fair scheduled for early October. The recently appointed Sudanese Minister added in his conversation with Al Beit Al Sudani radio that Emirati scholars and cultural institutions will be representing the UAE at the book fair. Alsamoul went on to say that the state intends to provide more services to serve "a cultural environment that drives society and embeds the aesthetic aspects of Sudan. He stressed that music and poetry will return to the Khartoum International Festival as of early next year; he elaborated that international festivals will be organized every year, but next year will be dedicated to music and poetry.
The minister acknowledged that previous sessions of the book fair faced some technical problems. "We have therefore started preparing early for the coming session, drawing on the experience gained from the past. We have contacted the Federation of Arab Publishers with a view to increasing the role of publishing, and also to set the date of the book fair so that it does not conflict with other book fairs in Arab capitals."
In his conversation, Alsamoul pledged further development of the cultural infrastructure throughout Sudan. This will be done by building theaters, galleries and movie theaters. He added that 2011 will witness work starting on the New National Theater, which will be built according to world-class standards, as well as a gallery at the international garden. He went on to call on local and Arab institutions to investment in publishing and cultural production in Khartoum.
Last year’s book fair encountered some technical issues, and the exhibition coincided with the exhibitions at Sanaa and Sharjah. This led to postponing the event for some time. However the characterized by the presence of prominent Arab creative names especially from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who was the guest of honor. |
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