Participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the International Book Fair in Prague

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an effective participant in most reputable international cultural and literary events.
Regarding the participation of Saudi Arabia as a guest of honour at the 17th session of Book World Prague 2011, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has the task of planning, preparing and implementing the Saudi participation, with all its accompanying programmes and activities, as is the case with all international book fairs held abroad. It assumes the role of coordinating between all government agencies, cultural and literary organisations and publishing houses who are participating at the fair. Saudi Arabia participates annually in more than 30 international book fairs held worldwide.
The Ministry of Higher Education is also responsible for scientific and cultural events, such as lectures, seminars and literary evenings via their respective cultural offices around the world. Moreover, MOHE usually selects certain experts, authors, thinkers, writers and professors to participate in events. In addition it prepares accompanying programmes, such as exhibitions of scientific inventions, Arabic calligraphy, fine arts, photography, traditional crafts, and the traditional Saudi tent, which reflects the traditional Saudi lifestyle.
All scientific and literary books which are presented at the Saudi exhibition stand have been chosen to satisfy and meet the needs of Czech readers, including children. The focus is on newly published works that are available in electronic form, such as digital books.
Finally it is worth mentioning that the most prominent Saudi participants at international book fairs are: the Ministry of Culture and Information, King Abdul Aziz Library, the General Authority of Tourism and Antiquities, King Fahd National Library, as well as many Saudi universities. A list of newly published works from different publishing houses is also prepared.
Benefiting from such a huge cultural and literary event that brings together many experts and thinkers, the international award for translations from and into Arabic will be promoted. It is an annual award called "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz International Award" and is given for an outstanding work in the field of translation.
More: http://conf.mohe.gov.sa/Prague/en/Pages/default.aspx

About the activities of the guest of honour at the Prague International Book Fair 2011 – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The choice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the guest of honour at the Prague International Book Fair 2011 is certainly a unique opportunity for visitors to the fair to witness a number of cultural events, programmes and activities and to inspect the following new publications:

List of the newest publications at the Saudi exhibition stand:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: History, Literature and Geography
The Modern Saudi Novel
The Role of Saudi Universities in Inter-Cultural Dialogue
Women are Flowers
Verbs in the Arabic Language - Learning and Understanding
Glimpses Disturbing My Peacefulness
The Civilization of Writing
The Two Holy Mosques – with archive material and new pictures
All the Tourist Needs to Know about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Famous Data on Saudi Arabia
Orientalism in the Czech Republic
The Role of Orientalists in the Field of Arabic Philology
A Czech – Arabic Dictionary
"The Huge Prison" (a theatre play)
International Scientific Awards in Saudi Arabia

For children we offer the following books:

The Story of Amuna - Amúna a její příběhy
Essam Doesn’t Like Taking a Shower - Essam se nerad koupe
Joud Goes to School - Džúd jede do školy
A Drop of Water - Kapka vody
Wadha – Butterfly of the Desert - Wadhá: Pouštní motýl
The Bird of Wheat - Obilný pták

At joint symposia Saudi and Czech experts will discuss the following topics:

Orientalism and Orientalists in the Study of Islamic Civilization
Social Changes in Saudi and Czech Culture
The Evolution of a Literary Movement in Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic
Promotion of Reading Habits in the Czech Republic with a Special Focus on Children and Young People
Development Indicators in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic

Visitors will also have the opportunity to gain an insight into Saudi plastic arts, traditional Arabic tents, folklore and calligraphy.