Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) and Founder and CEO of
the UAE-based Kalimat Group (KG), has announced that the sales proceeds of her latest work in
children’s literature titled “World Book Capital” will be furthered to libraries and cultural and educational
institutions in Gaza, Palestine.
The announcement was made by Bodour Al Qasimi via a post on @bodour, and is a new milestone in her
inspiring efforts to enable children and youth unrestricted access to books and knowledge despite their
socioeconomic circumstances. This is the latest step the IPA President has taken to advance her global
march to boost support for libraries and educational institutions worldwide. The support is vital to the
Gaza strip where several libraries and cultural entities have suffered severe damage following recent
events.
Bodour Al Qasimi launched “World Book Capital” at the ongoing 12 th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival
(SCRF), during an interactive session where she performed a reading of the book for SCRF’s young
visitors. Characterised by a thrilling narrative with an engaging literary style in addition to beautiful
illustrations by Denise Damanti, the creative work introduces young generations to UNESCO’s World
Book Capital, a global initiative that grants this prestigious title to a different city each year. Consequently,
the book offers children the opportunity to explore the cities that won the title since the initiative’s
inception in 2001.
The book has been published in both Arabic and English by Kalimat Publishing, the Kalimat Group imprint
that specialises in Arabic books for children and the youth.