The stand set up by the Italian Embassy at the International Book Fair about to be opened at Doha is entirely dedicated to children. The pavilion, created in partnership with “Reggio Children” – an organization promoting and educating on children’s rights – has a dense agenda of workshops, exhibitions, readings and interactive courses.
The aim is to offer young children an opportunity to get acquainted with reading. It is a valuable opportunity at this time in which schools are closed in Qatar to keep the pandemic at bay. The pavilion proposes a selection of books written by Italian authors or published by Italian publishing companies to be consulted freely. “We are particularly proud of our Pavilion – said Italian Ambassador Alessandro Prunas – it is the first time we participate in an institutional event in 2022 and we decided to dedicate it to our little ones who, perhaps more than adults, are going through difficult times.” He added: “For Italy as for Qatar, education and promoting children’s capacities and rights is a priority, now more than ever.”
The events on the agenda include the presentation, on the 17th of January, of the Arab version of two books by Gianni Rodari, the winner of the 1970 Hans Christian Andersen Award (the Nobel prize of Children’s Literature): “La torta in cielo” and “Fiabe lunghe un sorriso”. It is a project jointly promoted by the Italian Embassy and the Qatar Ministry of Culture. Rodari’s admirers will also be offered the possibility of visiting the “Illustrations by Gianni Rodari” exhibition: a selection of images made by 21 artists within the framework of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which are being displayed in Qatar for the first time. The pavilion will also host the exhibition titled “Out of silence. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, narrating through wordless books”, 41 wordless books created by Italian authors experimenting with a new narrative form.
