Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair
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Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission participates in this year London Book Fair with a pavilion where Saudi publishers and their counterparts from around the world may hold cultural dialogues and exchange experiences.
The fair, held at Olympia London between May 12 and 14, is an opportunity for the commission to boost Saudi literary publishers and agents’ presence internationally.
Commission CEO Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan stressed that the Saudi pavilion was shown significant interest by the public and industry people, adding that the commission has introduced many initiatives and programs aimed at developing the publishing industry and enhancing cultural activity; one such initiative is lending support to Saudi literary publishers and agents globally, SPA reported.
The commission exhibits books in its pavilion, and showcases the Literary Agent Initiative, the Publishing House Leadership Program, and the Tarjim (translate) Initiative, which contribute to supporting and developing this vital sector in the Kingdom, and strengthening the role of workers in the industry, which is a driver of the Saudi culture.
The commission also reviews the Riyadh International Book Fair, one of the largest cultural forums in the Kingdom, which hosts a country as a guest of honor every year to celebrate its culture through literary events.
The Literary Agent Initiative aims to help literary agents secure the best opportunities for authors and facilitate their literary journey, the Tarjim Initiative contributes to enriching Arabic content with highly valuable material translated from various languages, while the Publishing House Leadership Program seeks to create an attractive investment environment by empowering participating publishing houses and enhancing their competitive capabilities locally and globally.



Prince William Takes Early-Morning Nature Walk Near South Africa’s Table Mountain

 Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
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Prince William Takes Early-Morning Nature Walk Near South Africa’s Table Mountain

 Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)

Prince William went on an early-morning nature walk near South Africa's Table Mountain on Tuesday to promote the work of conservation rangers in a unique urban national park.

The Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne met with some of the rangers who guard the Table Mountain National Park, an 85-square-mile (220-square kilometer) area that overlooks Cape Town and spills into the city's suburbs in some areas.

William didn't go to the top of the famous flat-topped mountain, instead strolling through nature trails on Signal Hill, a foothill that sits by the ocean's edge.

The prince was accompanied on the walk by Megan Taplin, the park manager, and Robert Irwin, an Australian conservationist. William met with rangers, park firefighters and members of a K-9 dog unit.

“He got to learn about what they do on a daily basis and what challenges they face,” Taplin said. “We also spoke a lot about ranger wellness and how that's really important that rangers are supported, that their families are supported, because they are doing quite dangerous work and difficult work.”

William is in South Africa to promote his annual Earthshot Prize, which awards $1.2 million in grants to five entrepreneurs or organizations for innovative ideas that help the environment and combat climate change. William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020 through his Royal Foundation and the awards ceremony will be held in Cape Town — the first time it's been in Africa — on Wednesday night.

The prince's four-day visit is a kind of environmental roadshow and is heavily focused on climate and conservation, though he did break away from those issues on his first day in Cape Town on Monday to attend a rugby practice at a local high school and play a little of South Africa's favorite sport with some of the kids.

William was also due to meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the president's Cape Town residence on Tuesday.

William has a range of engagements planned in South Africa's second-biggest city, including meetings with young environmentalists, attending a wildlife summit, visiting a botanical garden and spending time at a sea rescue institute and with a Cape Town fishing community.

William last visited Africa in 2018 but he has a strong connection to the continent. He traveled there as a boy after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a Paris car crash in 1997. He and his wife, Kate, got engaged at a wildlife conservancy in Kenya in 2010. And he said he came up with the idea for the Earthshot awards while in Namibia in 2018.

Before the visit, William said that Africa has always had “a special place in my heart.” William's brother Prince Harry visited South Africa and neighboring Lesotho last month for a charity he set up in southern Africa.

William's wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis did not travel to South Africa. Kate only recently returned to some public duties after completing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.