The 20th edition of the World Book and Copyright Day will be celebrated in Cameroon today.

In prelude to this important event, the Ministry of Arts and Culture has organised a series of activities at the National Reading Centre in Yaounde.

The activities include workshops and roundtable conferences in a bid to promote reading culture in Cameroon. The workshop brings together participants from across the country.

One of the main speakers, Kodo Bidima Jeanne of the Regional Centre for Book Promotion in Africa South of the Sahara, Kodo Bidima Jeanne said yesterday’s workshop was important as it gave an opportunity for professionals in the book industry to discuss all issues of the national bibliography.

“This will enable them know what has been published in the national territory within a certain period of time. This is part of our cultural heritage,” she said. The event is also an occasion to incite the public, especially the youths, to discover the passion of reading.

Since its creation in 1995, the event is celebrated through literary animations in libraries and schools. The celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day is an opportunity for the ministry of Arts and Culture to sustain its activities carried out in the sector.

Activities to mark the World Book and Copyright Day in Cameroon will round off with an official ceremony at the National reading centre in Yaounde today. The ceremony will be presided at by the Ministry of Arts and Culture in collaboration with UNESCO. World Book Day is an annual event celebrated every year by the people all over the world on 23rd of April.

World Book Day celebration was started by the UNESCO first time on 23rd of April in 1995. The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on this date.

In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on April 23, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.

Generally, it is celebrated by the authors and illustrators, to encourage reading among of members of the public.