The seventh edition of the Casablanca Child and Youth Book Fair opened on Thursday and will continue until December 7. This fair is organized at the initiative of the Regional Directorate of Culture of Casablanca-Settat, with the support of the Casablanca City Council and the cooperation of the Professional Union of Moroccan Publishers, under the theme “The children’s book and the diversity of cultural tributaries ”.
The opening ceremony, which took place in the presence in particular of the wali of the Casablanca-Settat region, Said Ahmidouch, was marked by the presentation of artistic sequences and the presentation of encouragement prizes to children and young creatives in the field of writing and reading, within the framework of the “Prize for reading in Casablanca”, organized by the reading network in Morocco.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by the regional director of culture, Hafida Khoyi, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, indicated that the fair is a cultural event that celebrates the book and its audience and stands out compared to other fairs, as it targets a particular category, namely children and young people.
Taking into account the improvement of the epidemiological situation, “we seize this opportunity for the implementation of the program of the ministry, as regards the organization of the regional exhibitions, with the aim of allowing the publishing houses to display their productions to the general public, ”he added.
For his part, the president of the Professional Union of Moroccan Publishers, Abdelkader Retnani, emphasized the importance of this cultural event which mainly targets children and young people, noting that writers and publishers who have produced books on children, but which were unable to present them due to the pandemic, now have the chance to do so within the framework of this fair.
He recalled that the book contributes to building the future of children and that culture is important especially at this young age.
For her part, Rachida Roqi, of the reading network in Morocco, affirmed that the contributions of the network to the fair are manifested through two events, namely “The Youth Book Prize for children’s literature” and “The Prize of reading in Casablanca ”, with a view to encouraging reading among young people.
On the program of this edition are art workshops, plays, storytelling, workshops on heritage, literature, writing, with the aim of promoting the dynamics of writing and writing. publishing children’s books and strengthening the exchange between authors and publishers in the field of children’s books.
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