By Amer al Ansari and Bashair al Sulaimiyah
Muscat: Nizwa magazine played an important role in fostering culture of Oman, said Dr Abdullah bin Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information, at an event in the 28th Muscat International Book Fair marking the 30th anniversary of the magazine on Thursday.
The minister said Nizwa magazine is an Arab cultural beacon which helped to introduce writers from other parts of the world to the people of Oman. He also highlighted the magazine's foray into visual storytelling through its documentary 'A House of Wonders'. He congratulated the employees of Nizwa magazine for its stellar contributions since its beginning in 1994. In his speech, Dr Al Harrasi pointed to the challenges facing cultural magazines in particular, and literature translations in the light of artificial intelligence and its impact on many branches of literature.
Saif bin Nasser al Rahbi, editor-in-chief of Nizwa magazine, reviewed milestones of the magazine and its role in spreading Oman's culture abroad and its influence on the world’s writers and intellectuals. “Thirty years have passed, and we are now with a group of the vanguards of culture and thought, with friends who honoured us from different parts of the world and from Oman. We listen and hear from them in order to illuminate some of the hidden cognitive and cultural questions that the magazine has raised since its beginnings, intertwining with questions of knowledge in their comprehensiveness.” In his speech, he expressed his gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for his special interest and care for culture and arts since he was Minister of Culture and Heritage.
He also extended his thanks to Mohammed bin Said al Balushi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Information, the organisers of the symposium and the employees of the magazine. He also thanked the writers who participated in the symposium and those who have contributed since the first issue by writing for the magazine. During the ceremony, a commemorative postage stamp of Nizwa magazine was launched in cooperation with Oman Post, and a number of eminent writers who wrote for the magazine were also honoured.
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