Director General of the Swedish Institute (SI) Annika Rembe, who is head of the delegation, is slated to make the inaugural address at the book fair.
The Swedish Institute is a public agency that promotes interest in Sweden abroad. SI seeks to establish cooperation and lasting relations with other countries through active communication and cultural, educational and scientific exchanges. SI’s operations are carried out in close cooperation with Swedish and foreign partners, as well as with Swedish embassies and consulates around the world.
On Wednesday, senior adviser at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan Henningsson is scheduled to speak during the session on moving toward a common language of change.
Prominent Swedish physicist Joseph Nordgren will also speak at the subsequent session on “Education-Research-Innovation: A Strategic Triangle for Development.”
Minister of Higher Education Khalid Al-Anqari and Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) chief Prince Sultan bin Salman are expected to address the delegates.
The exhibition, whose theme is “Life Through Reading,” will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC). The fair will feature hundreds of national and international publishing houses, distributors and retail booksellers under one roof.
The 10-day event organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information will give away SR2 million worth of prizes for the most outstanding books at the show.
The books available at the fair are in Arabic, Persian, English, French, Turkish and Urdu. The cultural activities accompanying the 10-day exhibition this year include the Prize of the Ministry of Culture and Information for Writers, which will be given to 10 outstanding books in various branches of knowledge.
The Swedish pavilion at the show will highlight the country's efforts in promoting education for all segments of society. It will also display books that are translated from Arabic to Swedish and vice versa.
The Ministry of Culture and Information has warned that it will act firmly against any chaos at the show. Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs and Supervisor General of the show Nasir Hujailan said the ministry has taken a series of steps to minimize the occurrence of arbitrary religious guidance (ihtisab) undertaken by some people on religious and social grounds.
He said the ministry would provide channels for those who are against the content of the book show. The channels, in the form of a mobile number and e-mail, will be ready to receive comments that will be studied and responded to by special technical committees.
