For its 31st edition scheduled from May 1 to 10 in Rabat, the International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL 2026) promises extensive participation. With the unprecedented contribution of 61 countries, reading will be celebrated on a global scale in a host city named the world book capital by UNESCO. DR ‹ › With 570 indirect exhibitors and 320 direct participants, 890 in total, the 31st International Book and Publishing Fair (SIEL 2026) is set to be a globally oriented edition while giving pride of place to Moroccan authors and publishers. Scheduled from May 1 to 10 in Rabat, the event coincides with the city's designation as a UNESCO World Book Capital. At the heart of this edition, SIEL will feature more than 130,000 titles, with France as guest of honor. The program will also pay tribute to the 14th-century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, alongside a spotlight on the works of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in a celebration of travel literature blending real and imagined worlds. The fair will host 204 events and bring together 720 thinkers and creators. Daily presentations, debates, and discussions will address contemporary reading challenges, alongside innovations in cultural and creative industries (CCI), a sector that includes book professions and accounts for 2.4% of Morocco's GDP. A global edition At the French pavilion, 125 activities are planned. Speaking at the launch conference in Rabat on Tuesday, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid stressed that promoting reading and book-related professions goes hand in hand with supporting CCIs and their key players, young authors, publishers, project leaders, librarians, and booksellers. French Ambassador to Morocco Christophe Lecourtier noted that France's participation follows Morocco's role as guest of honor at the Paris Book Festival in April 2025. «At that edition, Morocco set the bar very high, reminding us of our shared passion for books,» he said, highlighting the contribution of Moroccan and binational authors, as well as a shared focus on youth. «In France, young people spend ten times more time in front of screens than with books. This raises the question of how to foster a desire to read,» Lecourtier added. France's program will therefore focus on younger audiences, featuring 15 writers, including Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux, and youth authors such as Timothée de Fombelle. Events linked to the guest of honor will also extend beyond Rabat, with activities planned in around ten cities, university meetings, and a cinema and literature cycle featuring director Michel Ocelot. Many of these initiatives, including those organized by the French Institute of Morocco, will be accessible through the Youth Pass launched by the ministry. Focus on youth Rabat mayor Fatiha El Moudni emphasized that books and culture are central to strengthening citizenship through accessible knowledge, especially among younger generations. «Reading is a civic practice and part of a broader dynamic involving institutions, government, professionals, and civil society,» she said. She added that hosting SIEL alongside Rabat's World Book Capital program reinforces the sector as a driver of development and Morocco's international cultural influence. Charaf Ahmimed, director of UNESCO's regional office for the Maghreb, highlighted the city's strong publishing ecosystem, noting that Rabat hosts around fifty publishers. «It is the 26th city to join the World Book Capital network, reflecting a coherent and dynamic vision in which the book sector is a pillar of the creative economy and access to reading,» he said. He also stressed that reading remains «a means of emancipation and social cohesion,» adding that the momentum of SIEL and the World Book Capital network will support the development of cultural policies in this field.
