By Mustapha Ait Kharouach – Agadir.
Under the slogan: “reading is a civilized act,” the initiative Reading For All – Agadir, in partnership with Ibn Zohr University, organized a reading festival on April 25th and 26th. The program was rich and varied, including hours to read, discuss the state of reading in Morocco with experts, exhibitions, book signing, lectures and a closing ceremony.
Reading For All is an association created on June 29th 2013 by Moroccan students in France and Morocco, where it spread quickly via an active Facebook page with thousands of members. The association has organized a number of events all over Morocco.
MWN spoke with Aicha Bekar, secretary general of the association and head of the Agadir chapter, at the event and asked her about the objectives of this initiative.
“Our slogan ‘All for a Morocco that read’ represents our dream. We work to introduce the Moroccan people to reading, spread awareness, and encourage non-readers to read. We strive to foster a love of books among the poor and illiterate, in order to improve a very big problem which is facing our country; the average Moroccan reads only 2.5 books per year, and 1 Moroccan in 10 never reads,” Bekar said.
After two days of intensive activities, the initiative concluded its first festival with an artistic ceremony held at the Agadir School of Commerce and Management.
The ceremony began with a talk given by Ibn Zohr president Omar Helli, in which he highlighted the importance of such cultural events to the city and the region in general. He also affirmed the willingness of the university to collaborate with any initiative that aims to enrich the sociocultural environment of the region. It is the first big event organized by Reading For All in partnership with a public institution, with activities held in public places and in close reading circles.
When asked about their future project plans, the association members stated that more partnerships with different public institution such as the municipality of Agadir would be established for more diverse cultural activities.
Edited by Jessica Rohan© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.