Unesco names Accra World Book Capital in 2023
Paris, Sep 22 (EFE) .- UNESCO announced this Wednesday the appointment of Accra (Ghana) as the World Book Capital in 2023, after the evaluation of the Consultative Committee responsible for these activities.
The Ghanaian capital will be selected after Guadalajara (Mexico), thanks to a program that aims to use the power of books to attract young people as an "effective way to train the next generation," UNESCO said in a statement.
"The city of Accra was selected for its strong focus on youth and their potential to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana," added the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The program presented by the African city includes a program aimed at marginalized groups with high levels of illiteracy, such as women, youth, immigrants, street children and people with disabilities.
"Among the measures to be applied include the strengthening of school and community infrastructures and institutional support for lifelong learning, in order to promote the culture of reading," adds the note.
The candidacy also includes activities such as the introduction of mobile libraries to reach marginalized groups, the holding of workshops to promote reading and writing in different Ghanaian languages, among others.
The celebrations will begin on April 23, 2023, World Book and Copyright Day.
Accra is the twenty-third city to hold this title since 2001 and follows others such as Madrid (2001), Alejandría (2002), Bogotá (2007), Buenos Aires (2011), Atenas (2018) or Kuala Lumpur (2020).
