RIYADH: Interactive workshops to improve literacy skills in young people will be a highlight of a wide-ranging “cultural jamboree” at the Riyadh International Book Fair. More than 500 publishers from 27 countries are taking part in the book fair, which was opened by Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad on Wednesday and will run for 10 days under the patronage of King Salman. Cultural events run as part of the fair will include specialized workshops led by writers who will share advice on becoming authors and translators. The workshops will also discuss learning techniques to improve young people’s literacy skills. In other lectures, experts will focus on digital learning and examine the role of social and electronic media in harnessing knowledge. The cultural jamboree is aimed at visitors of all ages, and will run from 4 p.m. till 10 p.m. each day. The UAE is the book fair’s “guest of honor” country this year. The UAE pavilion will host poetry nights, cultural seminars and children’s programs as part of the fair. More than 20 publishing houses and cultural institutions from the UAE are taking part in the fair. Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information, said the fair was one of the most important cultural events in the Kingdom and the highest-selling in the region. Ahmed Abdulhadi Tabaji, head of the book fair’s culture committee, said a photo exhibition on Saudi-UAE bilateral relations would highlight cultural relations between the two countries. “We also have lectures and interactive sessions on how to become a good writer, author, translator — and reader,” he said. As part of a “translation marathon,” participants will be asked to translate stories from Arabic to English and French. Stories will focus on Saudi Arabian culture and the struggles to build the modern Kingdom. Gifts and certificates will be awarded for the best translations. During the opening ceremony, Al-Awwad honored winners in a competition to encourage writers. Winners include Nasir Mohammed Al-Ghamadi, Adnan Mohammed Al-Awami, Hasan Hijab Al-Hazmi, Saeed Al-Adwani, Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb and Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Mazi.