H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, took part in the “9th Katara Prize for Arabic Novel” event, held in the Katara Cultural Village in Qatar.
In his statement on this occasion, the Director-General commended the significant cooperation between ALECSO and Katara Foundation, which culminated in Katara’s funding of the “World Novel Week” initiative, adopted by UNESCO and celebrated during the second half of October of each year. He highlighted the importance of the Katara Prize, designed to strengthen the presence of distinguished Arab novels on the Arab and international levels, as well as to encourage Arab novelists to further embrace creativity and excellence. It is a renewed opportunity, he added, to express thanks and appreciation to all those in charge of this Prize whose establishment reflects a deep understanding of the cultural and intellectual challenges facing the Arab Nation at this stage of its history.
For his part, Dr. Khalid Al-Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village Foundation, stated that the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel and World Novel Week (October 13-20 of each year) are “Katara’s gift to the Arab world which is in dire need of publicizing its literature and culture all over the world, by translating the winning novels in each edition into English and French, which will promote rapprochement and dialogue among civilizations and cultures.” Dr. Al-Sulaiti commended, on this occasion, the significant role played by ALECSO and the prospects for cooperation between ALECSO and Katara.
The Director-General of ALECSO and the General Manager of Katara Cultural Village Foundation inaugurated the Katara Book Fair, as well as the Exhibition of Ihsan Abdel Quddous, who was chosen as Personality of the Year, as part of the Katara Festival for Arabic Novel held on October 13-20, 2023.
