The 27th International Book and Publishing Fair (SIEL), which opened on June 2 under the patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, ended Sunday evening.
The book fair was held for the first time in Rabat to mark the proclamation of the city as the cultural capital of the Kingdom, African capital of culture and capital of culture in the Islamic world for the year 2022. It saw the participation of 712 exhibitors representing 55 countries.
Prominent figures in the world of culture, politics and economics took part in this year’s edition. The opening ceremony was attended by André Azoulay, advisor to HM the King, Abdoulaye Diop, Senegalese Minister of Culture and Communication, and several ambassadors accredited to Morocco.
African literature was the guest of honor of the 27th edition, organized in partnership with the Wilaya and the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and the municipality of Rabat to highlight the multidimensional links between the cultures of Morocco and sister African countries.
According to the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the Fair has drawn over 202,000 visitors, which is “an important figure reflecting the interest of Moroccans in books and reading.”
The pavilion of honor hosted conferences and panel discussions held by writers and intellectuals from different African countries. The latter discussed issues of writing, creation and publishing in today’s world and highlighted the contribution and interaction of African literature with that of the world.
The awarding of several prizes, including the Ibn Battouta Prize for travel literature, the Young Poets Prize and the National Reading Prize was among the highlights of the fair.
