Berlin: The Arab Cultural House "Al Diwan" of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Germany, inaugurated its third annual Arabic Book Fair in the German capital, Berlin.
The three-day event features participation from approximately 100 Arab and international publishing houses.
HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Hamar stated in his opening remarks that Al Diwan Book Fair embodies Qatar's vision of building bridges of communication between nations.
He emphasized Al Diwan's commitment to engaging leading Arab and international authors and publishers in the fair's activities.
His Excellency noted that Qatar's vision for fostering dialogue is rooted in extensive experience in managing and leading conversations and creating conducive environments, whether on the political and diplomatic level or in cultural, artistic, and creative domains.
The opening ceremony included speeches Director of Libraries at the Ministry of Culture and Director of the Doha International Book Fair Jassim Al Buainain; Claudia Kaiser, representative of the Frankfurt International Book Fair; Secretary-General of the Arab Publishers Association Bachar Chebaro; and Head of Culture, Society and Media Relations with Northafrica, Near and Middle East at the German Fedral Foreign Office Carsten Wilms.
The accompanying program features panel discussions highlighting the role of book fairs in cultural exchange between nations, the challenges of translation between Arabic and German, and a seminar on the Qatari novel model as part of broader dialogues on contemporary Gulf literature.
Participants include Dr. Noora Al Khunji, Professor of Arabic Literature and Criticism at Qatar University, and renowned translator Dr. Claudia Ott.
The fair also hosts a distinguished panel on classical and Nabati poetry, featuring Qatari poet and author Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari and Dr. Sarjoun Karam, poet and professor at the Institute for Middle and East Asian Studies at the University of Bonn.
The State of Qatar established the Arab Cultural House Al Diwan in November 2017. Since its inception, Diwan has expanded its efforts toward a central goal: building bridges of communication and dialogue between East and West.
