Wednesday 03 / July / 2024
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman will be a “distinguished guest” at the Seoul International Book Fair 2024, which will be held from June 26 to 30 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Omani-Korean cultural relations.
The 2024 Seoul International Book Fair chose Oman to be a special guest at the exhibition. This will represent an opportunity and a milestone to celebrate the golden jubilee of the existing relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Korea, and to honor every writer, publisher and institution who contributed to shaping the Omani cultural scene locally, regionally and globally, and to consolidate the concept of knowledge as a basis for development, progress and openness that confirms its commitment to enhancing communication and interaction between all cultures.
Regarding this participation, His Excellency Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture, said: “The participation of the Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in the Seoul International Book Fair 2024, along with a group of other government institutions such as the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, will open horizons of Knowledge and exchange of experiences between the two countries, especially since the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of South Korea have close relations at all levels and fields, and that the cultural aspect has witnessed remarkable development. Participation is also embodied in many images that reflect the culture and civilization of the Sultanate of Oman and its knowledge, literary, artistic and cultural stock in general and convey a vivid image that is important. It came on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries."
Al Busaidi added: "Participation enhances communication and interaction with all cultures, in addition to realizing the ministry’s visions and aspirations through its cultural strategy and achieving the goals of Oman Vision 2040 in establishing the principles of a society that is proud of its identity, citizenship and culture, documenting and disseminating it globally. We look forward to this participation strengthening communication frameworks in the cultural, civilizational and cognitive aspects, in confirmation of the efforts made by the Ministry in promoting the creative and cultural movement and confirming its pioneering role in spreading knowledge and interest in the Omani intellectual.”
In this event, Oman will present a group of distinguished cultural programmes and events targeting Omani-Korean relations through dialogue sessions for some Omani writers, others for specialists on Omani-Korean relations, and an exhibition of precious manuscripts, to be presented to the Korean public. It also worked to provide its pavilion with a selection of various publications, including a group of translated publications, including two books in the Korean language, one of which is a translation of the novel by the Omani writer Jokha Al-Harithi (Ladies of the Moon), and the second is about Omani-Korean rerelations.
The Sultanate’s pavilion at the exhibition also includes a group of corners, which are the “Omani Publications Corner represented by government institutions and civil society institutions (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Cultural Club and Society of Writers ), and Arabic Calligraphy Corner (live display), the Omani Manuscripts Corner, and the Omani Majlis Corner, which provides Omani hospitality and through which the visitor learns about Omani customs and traditions. In addition to displaying some of the Omani cultural vocabulary registered in the UNESCO World List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (the art of the Bura’ah - the Omani dagger - cultural spaces - drinking Omani coffee), during which the visitor can experience and live these cultural vocabulary through VR technology. Visual presentations will also be presented about cultural and tourist sites in the Sultanate of Oman.
