The Embassy of Italy in Doha will participate in the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) at DECC from January 13 to 22 with a national booth dedicated to children’s books hosting an exhibition of the works of Italian authors and illustrators as well as readings and workshops.
The Italian pavilion, one of the biggest at DIBF, is organised and managed in cooperation with “Reggio Children”, a leading Italian organisation in early childhood education and children’s rights promotion.
Subject to the latest regulations by health authorities, the main objective of the Italian booth is to introduce children to reading by offering them a space for active exploration and learning through Italian books, illustrations, and workshops. Special attention will be dedicated to introducing new methods, books, and tools to educators. The booth will display and sell a selection of children’s books published by Italian publishing houses or Italian authors. Moreover, the agenda should include different free of charge activities during the fair, including the workshop “Mosaic of Marks, Words, Materials” and readings of books authored by Italians in English, Arabic and Italian.
One of the programme’s highlights will be the official presentation of the Arabic translation of two books by Italian writer Gianni Rodari, 1970 winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award – the Nobel Prize for children’s literature, “La torta in cielo” (The Cake in the Sky) and “Fiabe lunghe un sorriso” (Fairy Tales Long a Smile). The joint project by the Embassy of Italy and the Ministry of Culture of Qatar will be presented on January 17 at 10.30 at the fair’s conference venue.
Those interested in Rodari’s work can visit the exhibition “Illustrations for Gianni Rodari,” a selection of pictures by 21 Italian artists realised by “Bologna Children’s Book Fair” and displayed in Qatar for the first time in the Italian pavilion.
“We are particularly proud of our pavilion at the Doha International Book Fair,” said Ambassador H E Alessandro Prunas.
“This year will be the first edition featuring an institutional Italian participation and we have chosen to bet on younger generations. Indeed, both Italy and Qatar give great importance to education and promotion of children’s potential and rights and I think that our intense programme during the fair fits perfectly within our shared policies and ambitions towards childhood."
