HIBAPRESS: The International Publishing and Book Fair in Rabat, on Sunday evening, May 10, concluded the activities of its thirty-first session, which offered knowledge enthusiasts and the public of culture a rich program of literary and intellectual events, and a huge national, Arab and international stock of publications.
The session, which coincided with the designation of Rabat as the "World Book Capital" for 2026, taking over from Rio de Janeiro, recorded a record participation of 61 countries and 891 exhibitors. During the fair, which was organized under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, more than 130,000 titles and more than 3 million copies were displayed, distributed across various genres of creativity and knowledge, according to data revealed by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication. The session, which welcomed France as the guest of honor and celebrated the legacy of the traveler Ibn Battuta, witnessed, over ten days, the activation of a program that included more than 204 events with the participation of more than 720 speakers, including thinkers and creators, who discussed reading issues and developments in cultural and creative industries, with moments of honor for important literary and intellectual figures. The event, which adopted the slogan "Writing is a journey.. Traveling is a book," was distinguished by the organization of special seminars on travel literature in honor of Ibn Battuta, with the presentation of documents published for the first time, the establishment of exhibitions about this global figure, and providing an interactive platform for the visitor to meet Ibn Battuta directly, with drawings, maps, artistic installations and contemporary sculptures, and the presentation of a collection of documentary films about the most important journeys throughout history. Visitors were on a date with new segments that included commemorating the centennial of a number of writers, such as the writer Idris Al-Shariba, the novelist Amina Allouh, the poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, and the philosopher Michel Foucault, and commemorating the ninth centenary of the birth of the philosopher Ibn Rushd. The new segments included celebrating the most influential Moroccan figures in history, such as Fatima al-Fihriya, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Tufail, Ibn Zuhr, Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib, and Zaynab al-Nafzawiya, and recalling the memory of international writers who lived in Morocco or were inspired by its culture, such as Paul Bowles, Juan Goytisolo, and Tennessee Williams. The 31st session of the International Publishing and Book Fair also dedicated intensive activities in the children's space, which provided children with an immersive experience that revolved around a dialogue between Ibn Battuta, the explorer of the world, and the character of the Little Prince, created by the writer Saint Exupéry. France was the guest of honor at the fair with a prominent cultural weight, embodied in the invitation of 15 writers to meet the public and the programming of 125 diverse activities, in a scene that embodies the depth of the cultural ties and commonalities between the two countries, after Morocco shone as the guest of honor during the Paris Book Festival 2025. The rich program of the guest of honor included literary meetings with 15 invited writers, headed by Annie Ernaux, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022. In addition to 45 digital workshops, three announcements of literary awards, 20 round tables, and 19 meetings and signing sessions with authors, the French participation included an artistic program "outside the walls" prepared by the French Institute in Morocco outside the fair.
