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BRICS members' meeting held at Tehran Book Fair / Need to activate Iran's cultural capacities
1404/02/23-16:37
The cultural and literary meeting of BRICS members was held this morning, Tuesday, May 13, on the seventh day of the 36th Tehran International Book Fair.
According to the news headquarters of the 36th Tehran International Book Fair, Ebrahim Heidari (Deputy and spokesperson of the Fair), Alireza Nourizadeh (Director General of the Office of Publishing Associations), Hossein-Ali Sabzeh (Head of the Foreign Publishers Committee), and Ehsanollah Hojjati (Head of the Publishing Industry Organization Center under the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization) were present at the meeting.
Other guests included the Cultural Counselor of China, Project Manager of the Russian Union of International Projects, representatives from Chinese publishers, Brazil, India, Indian public libraries, and Malaysian publishers.
Sabzeh's Speech: Hossein Sabzeh stated that the next BRICS cultural meeting will be held in June this year, with the participation of Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The first BRICS cultural meeting was hosted by the Russian House of Culture last February with attendees from Iran, India, and Russia. He added that the idea to hold the second meeting during the Tehran Book Fair was well-received.
Activating Iran's Cultural Capacities: Ebrahim Heidari emphasized Iran's diverse and extensive cultural potential. He stated that although BRICS countries dominate a significant portion of the global economy, much of humanity’s cultural heritage—both tangible and intangible—also lies within these nations.
He warned that focusing solely on economics without developing cultural ties would mean missing vital opportunities. He highlighted Tehran’s role in global culture with over 20,000 active publishers and more than 120,000 book titles published annually, 85% of which are first editions.
He also proposed the creation of an international publishing cooperation secretariat within BRICS countries, beginning under a specialized working group in the publishing industry and expanding into broader cultural and artistic domains in the future.
The goal, he said, is to foster cooperation with authors, poets, translators, and experts in BRICS countries through translation projects, experience sharing, and joint publishing initiatives.
Digital Platform for Publishing: Ehsanollah Hojjati, Head of the Center for Translation and Publishing Organization of Islamic Culture and Relations, discussed the need for structured dialogue and proposed the creation of an international literary award among BRICS members, modeled on European examples. He emphasized the importance of translating selected works into the languages of BRICS countries to enable reciprocal publishing.
He announced the launch of a digital publishing platform called “Zist-Boom” (Ecosystem), which hosts nearly two million book metadata records. This platform allows users worldwide to search for books in their native languages and manage the process of translation, support, and publishing within the same system. It will also support Iran’s Grant Plan to fund translations.
China's Cultural Counselor: The Chinese Cultural Counselor in Iran expressed hope that the discussions would expand cultural cooperation among BRICS nations. He praised the proposals and emphasized their value in launching joint cultural and publishing projects. He also announced the upcoming Beijing International Book Fair in just over a month and encouraged active participation from BRICS countries.
He proposed translating and publishing 25 outstanding works of classical and contemporary literature from Iran and China in each other’s languages over five years. Half of this project is reportedly already complete.
Conclusion: The 36th Tehran International Book Fair, under the slogan "Let's Read for Iran," runs from May 6 to May 17, 2025, at Imam Khomeini Mosalla. A virtual edition is also available at book.icfi.ir for remote book purchases.
