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JEDDAH: The third Jeddah International Book Fair honored the late Saudi poet Ibrahim Khafaji at a special event that was named after him.
Many Saudi singers took part in the event, which focused on Khafaji’s contributions, including writing the national anthem.
More than 300 authors applied to participate in the 10-day fair that started on Thursday, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Assem, supervisor of the Agency for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Information, said on Saturday.
The fair included a short film from the EU, an Islamic arts exhibition, a Chinese acrobatic show, a Japanese calligraphy exhibition, an exhibition of fine arts from Turkmenistan, theater presentations, poetry recitals, seminars and lectures.
The ministry dedicated a special section for Saudi authors who do not have publishers in order to help them market their work, and this service was offered free of charge, Al-Assem said.