|
MALAYSIA IS GUEST OF HONOUR COUNTRY AT 2017 RIYADH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia March 7 (NNN-Bernama) -- Malaysia is sending a high-profile delegation to Saudi Arabia after being invited as the Guest of Honour Country for the 2017 Riyadh International Book Fair from March 8-17.
The delegation led by Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid left for Riyadh today.
The Ministry of Education, in a statement today, said Malaysia was the first ASEAN country invited by the government of Saudi Arabia as Guest of Honour at the book fair.
Malaysia is the 10th in the world and third in Asia to have received the offer, it said.
According to the statement, the special invitation was sent by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture and Information and its minister Dr Adel Zaid al-Toraifi was quoted as saying that Malaysia's selection was a reflection of the close ties between the two governments, especially in politics, economy,culture and tourism.
Four Malaysian book industry players, namely the Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), National Book Council of Malaysia (BKM) and Perbadanan Kota Buku (Kota Buku) would participate in the far.
The Education Ministry said the delegation would also be accompanied by more than 10 publishers, including universities through the Malaysian Scholarly Publishing Council, and Ana Muslim, which will mainly be promoting children books, as well as those on education, culture, finance and Islamic-related fields.
The statement said several local leaders were also invited to present working papers on the development of strategic ideas, among them being Perak state Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Dr Zambry Abd Kadir; Islamic economics expert Dr Mohd Daud Bakar; and cartoonist Muhamad Nor Khalid, or better known as'Lat'.
Various cultural activities have also been lined up at the 72-square-metre Malaysian pavilion, including Zapin dance and Ghazal music performance by students from Sekolah Seni Johor, as well as poetry recitals and art
demonstrations by Jaafar Taib, Dr Siti Zainon Ismail and Dr Ramzah Dambul.
The book fair has attracted more than 900 publishers and over two million visitors from 29 countries from around the world.
-- NNN-BERNAMA |
|