Over 50 countries taking part in Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

The Fair, in its 19th session, is sponsored by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and will be held on 17-22 March, 2009.

The number of participating countries has doubled from 25 to 50 during the last two years, which reflects the new prominent place that the UAE holds in book fairs.

There has also been an increase in the area reserved for foreign publishing companies by 50%, as 200 of the 575 participating publishing houses are non-Arab.

The Fair has become more international and more professional. it is the fastest growing book fair in the Middle East, following the new strategy developed by KITAB, a joint project by ADACH and the Frankfort Book Fair.

It will be attracting, as part of its cultural events, a number of specialists in publishing affairs who will be taking part in conferences directed at a wide audience of writers, publishers, distributors, librarians, and general readers.

Mazrouei stressed that the Fair is not mainly concerned with book sales, but it is also a cultural movement that seeks to promote thought and writing, and seeks to bring together the various members of the publishing industry with general readers.

The Fair is only one of the various ADACH projects that seek to make Abu Dhabi a world centre for publishing. Other projects include KALIMA, QALAM, and the National Library which published more than 120 new titles dealing with various subjects in 2008 only.

Mazrouei said commitment to intellectual property rights is among the main priorities of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, as the UAE is listed among the top 20 countries in protecting those rights, according to BSA.

The UAE is the only Arab country in the top 20, beating many European states in combating piracy, including countries like Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.