For his very first edition of the International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL) as Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd, wants to give every chance to this large-scale cultural event to succeed and resonate well beyond Moroccan borders. The 27th edition, which takes place from June 3 to 12, 2022, has the particularity of being held in Rabat, while previous editions had taken up residence in Casablanca.
“The organization in Rabat of the 27th edition of the International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL), from June 3 to 12, constitutes a consecration for this city as the cultural capital of the Kingdom, African capital of culture and capital of culture in the Islamic world for the year 2022”, affirmed the minister, not without pride, Friday, May 27, 2022 in Rabat, during a press conference to present this edition organized under the high patronage of H.M. King, in the presence of the dean of the African diplomatic corps accredited to Morocco, Mouhamadou Youssifou.
The Minister also noted that this edition follows a blank year due to the Covid-19 pandemic which nevertheless had the merit of underlining the primordial importance of the book in difficult times.
While pleading for the launch of a “real cultural dynamic” in all regions of Morocco, Mr. Bensaïd considered that this event, organized in partnership with the wilaya and the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra as well as with the commune of Rabat, is an illustration of the joint action that must be taken to this end. Concerning the budget allocated for the organization of the 2022 edition, it is 20 million dirhams, including 12 million dirhams approved by Parliament in the finance law, to which are added the 8 million planned by the Region Rabat- Sale-Kenitra.
In response to a question about his personal commitment to encouraging reading in Morocco, Mr. Bensaïd said that a proposal will be presented to the Council of Government to revise upwards the value of the Prix du Maroc du livre for the increase to 200,000 DH instead of 120,000 DH currently.