Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has welcomed the world’s largest floating book fair, housed on board the Logos Hope vessel, to its Mina Zayed Port.
The book fair has been inaugurated by the Abu Dhabi Arabian Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi. Its arrival forms part of special events for the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which will run from May 22 and 28. The Logos Hope will, meanwhile, remain in Abu Dhabi from until June 4, 2023.
The opening ceremony was attended by 1k, DCT Abu Dhabi chairman, along with DCT Abu Dhabi undersecretary Saood Alhosani, ALC chairman Dr Ali bin Tamim, director general for tourism Saleh Al Geziry, AD Ports Group chief executive officer of ports cluster Saif Al Mazrouei, Sebastian Moncayo, advance preparation project manager for Abu Dhabi at the Logos Hope exhibition, and other officials.
Activities
The ALC is participating in the exhibition with a cultural programme that features activities for members of the public and school students, including educational workshops for children, creative and technical workshops, and specialised corners.
“The Logos Hope floating exhibition is an innovative addition to Abu Dhabi’s cultural agenda. This novel offering further strengthens our efforts to promote a culture of reading, and to ensure the widest possible access to books and knowledge resources for all our community members, in line with the strategic objectives of the ALC,” Dr bin Tamim said.
Largest floating book exhibition
“We are thrilled to be part of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2023 by hosting the Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book exhibition. For the next coming weeks, all the residents of Abu Dhabi will have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful world of books covering a wide range of topics catering to all preferences. We are also proud of Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal’s contribution towards the cultural and intellectual entertainment within the capital,” Noura Al Dhaheri, managing director of cruise business at the AD Ports Group.
5,000 books
The floating book fair offers its visitors a wide range of more than 5,000 books and publications, covering fields such as sports, science, arts, dictionaries, medicine, and languages, among others. The exhibition is also accompanied by a busy agenda of events, workshops, discussion sessions, as well as interactive and musical performances that cater to all segments of the community.
The ALC’s programming includes a children’s stories reading workshop presented by author Dr Fatima Al Mazrouei, an Arabic calligraphy workshop presented by Saeed Al Amiri, a book discussion led by members of the ALC Reading Club, and a workshop on the history of literature and music presented by Iman Al Hashemi.
One million visitors
Every year, the Logos Hope ship receives approximately one million visitors. Since its establishment in 2009, it has visited more than 150 countries around the world, and welcomed a total of 49 million people. The ship’s crew includes volunteer staff from 60 different nationalities, with teams travelling to areas surrounding the ports where the ship docks to visit hospitals and schools, and provide community service and assistance. Logos Hope’s main objective is to serve people in the communities where it docks.
