“Indeed, books are vital vehicles to access, transmit and promote education, science, culture and information worldwide.”
Last year saw the start of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-32) and it’s a UN priority to uphold and promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism. The World Book Capital Network Charter includes references to indigenous and regional languages and acknowledges a less rigorous definition of “the book” by recognising a variety of literary genres, including oral traditions. On April 23, when the world celebrates World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO will emphasise the importance of indigenous languages. The bulk of the almost 7,000 languages still in use—many of which are rapidly vanishing—are spoken by indigenous peoples who account for the lion’s share of global cultural variety. The UN has no constraints on which cultures or peoples can be considered indigenous, however many of you will be familiar with indigenous populations that are either from your own nation, live there, or are among the people you have worked with abroad. Indeed, books are essential for accessing, disseminating, and promoting knowledge, science, culture, and education globally.
What is World Book and Copyright Day: World Book and Copyright Day is an occasion to celebrate reading, bookstores, and libraries. To sustain the momentum of the Day’s celebrations through its own efforts, the World Book Capital is chosen to serve as its host city for a year. World literature often uses the date April 23 as a symbol. On this day, numerous well-known authors passed away, including Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Miguel de Cervantes, and William Shakespeare. This day was a logical option for UNESCO’s General Conference, which was convened in Paris in 1995, to honour books and authors globally and promote access to books. With its work across the board, from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity, and equal access to knowledge by championing books and copyright. World Book and Copyright Day has evolved into a platform for bringing millions of people from all over the world together thanks to the active participation of all stakeholders, including authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs, the mass media, and all those who feel inspired to work together in this global celebration of books and authors. World Book Day is observed on April 23 every year. The organisation responsible for the event is UNESCO. With the aid of the event, UNESCO hopes to promote reading among people, particularly young people, and to raise awareness of the different problems involving writers, publishers, and other associated parties. Since copyright is a significant problem in the book and writing industries, World Book Day annually puts a special emphasis on the problem. Because of this, this day is also known as World Book and Copyright Day in various areas of the world. On April 23, 1995, the first-ever World Book Day was observed. The date was chosen by UNESCO since it was also the world-famous author William Shakespeare’s death and birth anniversary. The well-known Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes, whose death anniversary fell on that day, was also commemorated. Other well-known authors whose birthdays or deaths fall on this day include Halldor Laxness, JosepPla, and Maurice Druon.The concept of the holiday was inspired by a Spanish custom. The 23rd of April has long been commemorated as “The Rose Day” in Spain. Similar to Valentine’s Day, individuals exchanged roses on this day to show their support and affection for one another. To honour Miguel de Cervantes’ passing on this day in 1926, however, people gave books as gifts rather than roses.The custom is still practised in Spain today, which is where the concept for World Book Day originated.The emphasis of the day is on reading and writing, as the name would imply. Thus, UNESCO hosts a number of programmes to encourage people to read. The discussion of numerous topics relating to the worlds of authors, publishers, distributors, etc. is also a priority, as is supporting their causes and products. Although there is a particular topic around which programmes are organised each year, unlike previous such days, there are no themes established as such by UNESCO. In addition, there are customs related to the day that are unique to some nations. It has previously been mentioned that Spain has a long-standing custom of swapping books. There is also the custom of holding a two-day reading marathon in Spain, at the conclusion of which the King of Spain awards an author with the coveted Miguel de Cervantes prize. Writing contests are held in Sweden at both colleges and universities.Instead of April 23, the first Thursday of March is when the day is observed in the UK and Ireland. The day has been shifted in both the UK and Ireland to avoid conflicting with St. George’s Day, which is celebrated on April 23 in the UK.Every year, UNESCO, the organisation behind the day, proposes a new theme. The day’s theme in 2012 was translation. It was agreed to promote “equitable access of content across regions” as the 2012 World Book Day subject. UNESCO has named April 23 as World Book Day, which is observed in more than 100 nations as a day dedicated to reading and books. Each year, UNESCO chooses the World Book Capital, which takes effect on April 23 and is this year Athens, Greece.April is a significant month in international literature. Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all passed away on this day in 1616. Other well-known writers whose birth or passing share this day include Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, JosepPla, and Manuel Meja Vallejo. The decision by UNESCO’s General Conference to honour books and authors on this day, which was observed in 1995 in Paris, came naturally. The conference urged everyone, especially young people, to discover the joy of reading and to develop a new appreciation for those who have made irreplaceable contributions to human progress on the social and cultural fronts.
What is World Book Day?
Authors, artists, books, and reading are all celebrated on World Book Day. It is a single-day event that is observed in more than 100 nations worldwide and was founded by UNESCO. Adults, parents, and older siblings are urged to take part in the “Share A Story” theme this year by reading and sharing stories. The organisers will be urging the country to “Take 10” and recognise the beneficial effects that reading aloud to a youngster for just 10 minutes each day may have. World Book Day has started a nationwide survey to determine the people’s favourite stories to share in order to give parents and kids suggestions for what to read next. You may vote right here. World Book Day is observed by whom? World Book Day is for school children of all ages, with the primary aim of encouraging children to explore book and the joy of reading.
When did World Book Day start? The United Kingdom has recognised World Book Day for twenty years this year. But on April 23, 1995, the world celebrated its first-ever World Book Day. Why is there a World Book Day? Booksellers in Catalonia, Spain, had the first idea to celebrate books at the end of April in 1923. Vicente Clavel Andres wished to pay tribute to fellow author Miguel de Cervantes, who passed away on this day, at this time. Coincidentally, it is also the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s passing.
How do World Book Day tokens work? Numerous publishers, bookstores, and the National Book Tokens Ltd. send millions of book coupons to kids and teenagers all around the nation. One of these tokens is sent out for almost every British child under the age of 18 each year, approximately 15 million of them. Upon receiving their ticket, your child can choose one of ten brand-new, exclusive books to take home for free from a nearby bookseller. They can also use it to receive one pound off any book or audio book that costs more than £2.99 at a partner bookstore or Book Club Kingdom. The first World Book Day commemoration was launched by UNESCO on April 23, 1995.In general, it is celebrated by writers, artists, and book publishers in order to promote reading among the general public. It is a global celebration of reading and books that is observed in more than 100 nations.
WORLD BOOK DAY HISTORY : There are numerous myths surrounding the yearly international celebration of World Book Day. The inaugural World Book Day was observed on April 23rd in 1923 by a number of Spain-based booksellers as a way of honouring Miguel de Cervantes, one of the most well-known authors of all time. The day marks Miguel de Cervantes’ passing anniversary.In order to commemorate World Book and Copyright Day, the specific date of the event was originally set by UNESCO in 1995. According to the Gregorian calendar, April 23 coincides with the birthdays and deaths of William Shakespeare, Vladimir Nabokov, and Manuel Meja Vallejo; the death anniversaries of Miguel de Cervantes (who died on April 22 and was buried on April 23); JosepPla; Inca Garcilaso de la Vega; and the birthday anniversaries of Manuel Meja Vallejo, Maurice Druon, and Halldór Laxness.
How world book day is celebrated: By purchasing and reading some interesting and humorous books from the market or well-known book stores, where all the favourite books based on brands, characters, or writers are available, one may participate in celebrating World Book Day. The celebration of World Book Day helps students develop better reading habits and sparks their interest in learning about writers and other significant topics.The UNESCO launched the worldwide celebration in order to recognise how simple it was to encourage young children to read, publish works, and use copyright to safeguard intellectual property. The 23rd of April has been a noteworthy date in literature throughout history since it was the anniversary of the deaths of several notable individuals in 1616. The UNESCO chose the day in order to draw attention to the books and authors around the world. It inspires people, particularly children, to read books, uncover true joy and knowledge within them, and develop new ideas for their outstanding contributions to the social and cultural growth of the nation or people. Giving the customer a rose after each book purchase might encourage them to read books and feel respected.
Teachers, writers, publishers, librarians, all public and private educational institutions, NGOs, working groups, the media, and others all take part in the celebration of World Book and Copyright Day. The UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO clubs, centres, organisations, libraries, schools, and other educational institutions organise a variety of programmes on a global scale.Working group participants are encouraged to join the library so they can access the newest books authored by well-known writers. Numerous activities, such as drama, workshops, and visual arts, might help people feel more motivated. You have to think more when you read. Your ability to absorb any form of knowledge and understanding is enhanced by reading. The benefit of reading is that it keeps your memory strong and expands your capacity for learning.You can learn new things, fresh information, new ideas, better ways to handle a problem, and better ways to accomplish a goal via reading. You might discover a new interest or investigative tendency through reading. Reading and comprehension are the first steps in research and greater learning.There is excitement in reading. Reading has all the other benefits we’ve discussed so far, so it’s not only enjoyable. A good book can keep you interested while teaching you the fundamentals. It can help you develop new skills you didn’t know you had.A book transmits knowledge of all kinds, as well as education and information. “The more you read, the more well-read you are,” is a common saying. Simply put, this means that the more you read, the more your mental states, your thoughts, and your creative energies are revealed. In this day and age, even many authors, ghostwriters, and book writing services are aware of the importance of World Book Day 2018. Find a chance to read right now, and it would be the ideal way to commemorate this day. Do you now struggle to complete a book? Today is the perfect time to curl up in a couch or a blanket outside with a cup of coffee or tea and savour every page of that unread book. Regardless of how you choose to observe World Book Day, make sure it is a learning experience for you. bBooks are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
(The authors write exclusively for the opinion pages of “Kashmir Horizon”.. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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