Rabat named book capital

Rabat is opening its year as UNESCO World Book Capital 2026 with a citywide reading programme and a major international book fair next month. (unesco.org) UNESCO named Rabat the 2026 World Book Capital on October 8, 2024, and said the year of celebrations begins on April 23, 2026, World Book and Copyright Day. The agency said Rabat is the 26th city to hold the title since the program began in 2001, following Rio de Janeiro in 2025. (unesco.org) The book fair at the center of the rollout is the 31st International Publishing and Book Fair, scheduled at OLM Souissi in Rabat from April 30 to May 10, 2026. The International Publishers Association says France is this year’s guest of honor and the fair will also celebrate the traveler and writer Ibn Battuta. (internationalpublishers.org) UNESCO said Rabat was selected after a recommendation from the World Book Capital Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of booksellers, authors, libraries, publishers and UNESCO itself. The agency said the city’s plan focused on access to books, support for the local publishing industry, and literacy work aimed at women, young people and underserved communities. (unesco.org) The designation also reflects the scale of Rabat’s existing book trade. UNESCO said the city has 54 publishing houses, a growing number of bookstores, and one of Africa’s biggest international book fairs. (unesco.org) Moroccan officials are using the title as a yearlong framework rather than a one-week festival. Reporting from Rabat’s April 2026 programme presentation said the activities will run from April 2026 to April 2027 and include more than 340 events, from workshops and conferences to social initiatives and professional meetings. (atalayar.com) At that presentation, Culture Minister Mehdi Bensaïd said the designation put Rabat in a setting where culture should be accessible to everyone, and he singled out booksellers in the medina for helping make reading part of daily life in the city. (atalayar.com) The UNESCO title does not come with permanent status. Cities hold it for one year and are expected to use that window to promote books and reading across age groups and across borders, which is why Rabat’s launch is tied so closely to April 23 and the fair that follows days later. (unesco.org)