SHAH ALAM, Oct 21 — The inaugural Selangor International Book Fair (SIBF) will take place from December 1 to December 11, at the newly-opened Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) Convention Centre in Section 13.
Co-organised by the Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS), SIBF 2022 will also see the introduction of two new international programmes, as well as the continuation of its Selangor International Children Content seminar.
The programmes include the Yusof Gajah Illustrators Award which honours noted illustrator, the late Yusof Gajah, whose works have been recognised globally.
It has two categories to appreciate both local and international participants and will be presided over by three international judges. Its entries’ call will open soon, with the closing date on November 20.
The other newly-introduced programme is the Selangor International Fellowship, which is aimed at uplifting Selangor as a hub for children’s rights in Southeast Asia, as well as promoting Malaysian works and fostering collaboration with international partners.
It will be offered to five selected global partners, who will organize talks, seminars, and workshops to share their experiences with local industry players. Taking place from 1 December 1 to December 3, it will hopefully encourage the practice of biblio-travel in Selangor and across Malaysia.
As part of SIBF 2022, a five-member state delegation is currently visiting the five-day Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) which runs from October 19 to October 22.
PPAS director Datin Paduka Mastura Muhamad said they still have a long way to go in learning about rights trade.
“If an author manages to sell his or her works to other countries to be translated in other languages, this will bring in more income.
“We hope that by introducing this feature at the Selangor International Book Fair, more people especially among younger generations will be excited to write or to consider
writing as a career,” she said in a statement.
Originally beginning at Kompleks PKNS in Shah Alam in 2006 as the Selangor Book Fair (SBF), SBF was held annually at the location until 2010, when it shifted to the Shah Alam Convention Centre for the 2011 fair. 2018 marked a high point, with 515,801 visitors attending SIBF that year.
The fair has been organised without fail for 16 years, including during the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year saw SIBF successfully carried out as a hybrid event for the first time ever, to accommodate customers who could not make it in person.
SBF 2021 saw six National Laureates and five renowned local authors attend the inaugural ‘Hati Dan Minda Sasterawan‘ segment.
The fair aims to open more opportunities, not only for local book industry players but to gradually encompass other business fields and disciplines including tourism, transportation, food and beverage, handicrafts, and event management.
This will help boost Selangor’s and the national economy, and educate government agencies together with the wider society about the immense responsibility of hosting Shah Alam’s first-ever international book fair.
