South African Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Jaafar thanked the organizers of the Riyadh International Book Fair for having chosen South Africa as a guest of honor.

Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi inaugurated the fair on Wednesday evening in the presence of the South African ambassador.

Speaking to the local media, the ambassador said that the participation of the South African delegation would contribute greatly to enhancing the solid cultural ties and relations between Saudi Arabia and his country.

“The embassy received the invitation to be guest honor for the event with great pleasure,” he said. “Our delegation will actively participate in order to enable all visitors, especially Saudis, to become familiar with our South African culture.”

Jaafar said Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Rejoice Thizwilondi Mabudafhasi would be the delegation’s chairperson.

He stressed that his country’s participation in the book fair would further improve the relations between the two countries. “We hope that the meetings of the deputy minister of arts and culture with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia will be fruitful and lead to further cultural cooperation between our countries,” said Jaafar.

He noted that many South Africans work in the Kingdom and for this reason each country should be familiar with the culture of the other.

South African participation in the Riyadh International Book Fair was made possible through the coordination between the ministries of culture in the two countries.

One of the renowned South Africans names participating in the book fair is Fred Khumalo, a renowned columnist and author of “The Lighter Side of Robben Island,” “Bitches Brew” and “Seven Steps to Heaven” among others. His works have won both local and international prizes. Another participant, Bathandwa Mcuba, is a famous writer, speaker, leader, artist and ambassador of culture who wrote “The Heart and Soul of South Africa.”

“The embassy has prepared a file on South African culture which has been translated into Arabic,” said the ambassador. “The embassy will also provide a number of translations of South African books which will be available at the fair.”

Commenting on the Arab culture and its impact on Saudi society, the ambassador said: “Arab culture, with all its richness and influence, is a part of life in the Kingdom and in the wider region. The Kingdom’s culture is of course Islamic which is the way of life not only here but throughout the Islamic world.”