World Book Day 2019
23rd of April is observed as World Book by UNESCO and other related organisations every year. The city of Sharjah has been selected as the World Book Capital for the year 2019.
World Book Day 2019 is the 24th edition and the theme is centred around round celebrating literature and reading with a particular focus on enhancing and protecting indigenous languages. The theme is in line with the celebration of the International Year of the Indigenous Languages by the UN.
Genesis of the World Book Day
Often also called the World Book and Copyright Day, it aims to promote the joy of books and the art of reading. World Book Day recognises that books are a link between the past and the future, a bridge between cultures and generations.
UNESCO chose 23rd April for the World Book Day to pay tribute to great literary figures including William Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega who died on this day and was finalised in the year 1995 in the UNESCO General Conference, held in Paris.
Further UNESCO and organisations representing publishers, booksellers and libraries select World Book Capital for a year to maintain the celebrations of books and reading. For the year 2019, Sharjah, UAE has been declared as the World Book Capital. It will be preceded by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the year 2020.
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Month: Current Affairs - April, 2019