Ithra to Host Closing iRead Ceremony in October, Crowning the Arab World’s Top Reader
Under the slogan ‘Reading Bridges Worlds,’ the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative by Saudi Aramco, will organize the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Reading Enrichment Program (iRead). This event aims to promote the culture of reading and celebrate knowledge within society. The ceremony will feature 10 readers from across the Arab World competing in the Essays Track and eight in the Debates Track. Morocco will be proudly represented by Maryam Ahmed Bouaoud and Fatima Ammar Al-Kattani, who are vying for the coveted title of the Arab World’s ‘Reader of the Year’ during the ceremony scheduled for October 11 and 12, 2024, at the Ithra Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The event will also be attended by two Nobel Laureates in Literature: Dr. Abdulrazak Gurnah and Olga Tokarczuk, who won their honors in 2021 and 2018, respectively. Alongside these distinguished guests, numerous readers, authors, and literary figures from the Arab World will participate in a cultural program that includes an interview with Saudi critic Abdullah Al-Ghathami, a fireside chat with Algerian author Ahlam Mosteghanemi, a recital by Sudanese poet Mohamed Abdelbari, the Kutubiya book-swapping exhibition, and several book signings.
This year’s competition received an impressive 106,000 submissions from across the Arab World. Of these, 10 participants from seven countries—Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq—have advanced to the finals. They will deliver their final presentations in a bid to win the ‘Reader of the Year’ title. Attendees will also have the chance to vote for the ‘Audience’s Favorite Reader’ award.
“The iRead competition is a shining example of Ithra’s pioneering role in promoting reading as a vital tool for enriching the knowledge of future generations. This transformative experience enhances the research, reading, writing, editing, publishing, and public speaking skills of all participants,” commented Ithra Cultural Advisor Tareq Alkhawaji.
He added, “We are thrilled to see such a large and diverse group of applicants from all over the Arab World participate in the ninth edition of iRead. This success reflects the competition’s role in developing and empowering not just Saudi, but Arab talents in critical reading and creative writing. It also solidifies Ithra’s mission as an Arabic content creator and underscores its goal of inspiring 100,000 young men and women by 2030.”
Now in its ninth year, the iRead competition has seen participation from over 225,000 individuals, delivering 48,000 hours of educational content and featuring more than 600 speakers from 30 countries.
