Ithra’s iRead Talks launches cultural events in Cairo

DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) will head to Egypt to stage Ithra’s iRead Talks as it embarks on a new series of cultural events this week.
A competition for Arabic-speaking students will be among events held at the Radio Cinema in downtown Cairo on the final day of the Dawayer Cultural Festival, organized by Tanmia bookstores and Diwan bookstore.
As part of Ithra’s Reading Enrichment Program, or iRead, a series of cultural events on July 15 will “aim to encourage the culture of reading in the Arab world by holding lectures, workshops and panel discussions in a number of Arab cities, bringing together writers, thinkers, intellectuals and readers all in one platform to discuss hot literary topics across a variety of fields,” a statement said.
The Ithra-related talks will be moderated by Ithra’s librarian, Tariq Al-Khawaji, who is also the supervisor of the iRead National Reading Project.
In one of the talks, translators Mohammed Jamal and Hisham Fahmy will discuss their experiences translating literary works. Jamal primarily works in translating mythological texts, while Fahmy focuses on fantasy.
Featured Egyptian poets Mahmoud Khair Allah and Fatima Qandeel will also read a selection from their award-winning collections.
The Reading Enrichment Program, which was launched in 2013, has reached more than 125,000 students from around the Kingdom and Arab world, according to Ithra.
The program has expanded to include book exhibitions, reading marathons, workshops and discussions, as well as allowing book-lovers to interact in physical and digital spaces.
Ithra aims to reach 1 million young people through the program by 2030.
For the terms and conditions related to the iRead competition or to simply follow along, visit https://www.ithra.com/ar/iread/ and the Ithra social media channels.