Shabwa (South24 Center)

On Saturday (September 20), the sixth edition of the Shabwa Book Fair was launched in the city of Ataq, Shabwa Governorate, with the participation of local and Arab publishing houses. This cultural event has become an annual milestone in promoting knowledge and intellectual activity in the governorate.

South24 Center

The opening ceremony was held at the Poet Yaslam bin Ali Cultural Center under the patronage of Shabwa Governor Awad Al-Awlaki, with significant official, cultural, and public attendance.

The book fair, to run from September 20-25, features approximately 46 publishing houses and bookstores, showcasing over 180,000 books covering more than 40,000 titles across literature, thought, history, religion, science, and children's books.

South24 Center 

The event also includes dedicated sections for women and children, alongside a program of cultural evenings and seminars.

In the days leading up to the fair, intensive preparations were made by the General Book Authority and the Shabwa Culture Office, with halls and pavilions set up and facilities readied to welcome visitors.

Among the participants at the fair is the ‘South24 Center for News and Studies’, which has showcased a number of its research and intellectual publications, most notably the book Aden: Memory of the Sea and Immortal Narratives by London-based historian Fatima Johnson. The book includes 11 historical stories documenting pivotal moments in the memory of Aden city and reinterpreting the history of South Yemen from perspectives alternative to the official narratives.

South24 Center 

The fair is expected to attract a growing number of visitors who see it as an open window to knowledge and publications that were previously unavailable in the governorate during the years of war.

The event comes at a time when local authorities are seeking to establish a lasting cultural tradition that reflects stability in the Southern governorates.

The first edition of the Shabwa Book Fair was launched in September 2018, initiated by the Culture Office and the "Shabwa Reads" team.

The event expanded in subsequent years, with the second edition held in 2019 and the third in 2020. The fair gained further momentum in the 2022 edition, with 15 publishing houses and nearly 100,000 books.

By the 2024 edition, which featured 22 publishing houses and over 150,000 books, the fair had solidified its position as the most prominent annual cultural event in the governorate, leading up to the current sixth edition in 2025.