The Rabat International Book Fair was traditionally held in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and cultural hub.
No surprises here – these things are arranged long in advance – but it’s now official that Sharjah will be Guest of Honour at Morocco’s largest publishing event, the 30th Rabat International Book Fair (RIBF).
The RIBF will take place from 17-27 April at the OLM Souissi space in Rabat. As reported here on TNPS last month, registration is open until 15 February.
Background
The Rabat International Book Fair was traditionally held in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and cultural hub. However, as TNPS regulars will remember, due to logistical challenges and the need for a more suitable venue, the fair was moved to Rabat. The move was initially temporary but has since become permanent, with Rabat providing better facilities and infrastructure to host the event.
At least, that’s the official line. But other factors were at play as the fair moved to Rabat for the first time.
From TNPS in 2023:
“The first and so far only Rabat incarnation in 2022, it transpires, was heavily financed by the Rabat authorities, to the tune of 8 million dirhams ($762,000) on top of the MAD 12 million ($1.1 million) allocated by the government, while Casablanca has never contributed “even a dirham”.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
