The fifth day of the Muscat International Book Fair (MIBF) at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), witnessed a one of its kind event known to reinvigorating the minds with healthy discussions.
Currently in its third edition, the ‘Open Debating Championship’, being held as part of the book fair, aims to develop a culture of dialogue among participants, enhance the skills of thinking, analysis and persuasion, and stimulate the intellectual creative energies of youths in a way that enriches their general culture and communicates the values of dialogue within them.
"Through this tournament, we seek to enable community members to express their positions and opinions on issues of local, regional and global concern, thus contributing to the development of their constructive critical sense and the creation of dialogue traditions capable of developing existing relations between the scientific community,” said Nasser bin Humaid al Hinai, Executive Director of OmanDebate.
Al Hinai pointed out that the tournament targets all segments of society. He further said that as many as 100 people in the individual category and 28 teams in the team category registered in this edition and were trained in the art of debate through a workshop by experts.
"The Muscat International Book Fair was chosen to hold the tournament as it is the largest cultural event in the Sultanate and receives tens of thousands of visitors, which is an opportunity for the center to introduce the art of debate and the importance of its role in building generations armed with the tools of systematic dialogue. OmanDebate is the biggest of its kind and will be held over three days," he said.
First time from India
DC Books, one of India's leading publishers, DC Books, is taking part in the MIBF for the first time. “We have a wide range of latest novels, story collections, poems, scientific works, travel literature and the like. These will be available at special rates at the stalls numbered 1F19 and 1F20. English language books will also be available from the stall,” Ravi DC, CEO of DC Books, told the Observer. “It is an honour for us to take part in the region’s most sought-after book fests."
Youth Center
The Youth Center, present at the venue, is hosting several events along with the book fair. The first of them is a session where the future of creative business in the world of artificial intelligence is assessed under the content supervision of the Al Alama Company.
The events which are specialized in digital marketing communication will be monitored by Muhammad al Ajmi, Technical content creator.
The fair, which began on Wednesday at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, will conclude on March 2. Hours of operation are Saturday to Thursday 10am to 10pm and Friday 4pm to 10pm. Admission is free.
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