The Resounding Popular Triumph of the Algiers International Book Fair (SILA)
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – November 2025 – The 28th edition of the Algiers International Book Fair (SILA) concluded triumphantly at the Palais des Expositions in Les Pins Maritimes, marking ten days of exceptional cultural fervor and unprecedented attendance. The closing ceremony, presided over by Minister of Culture and the Arts Malika Bendouda in the Assia Djebar Hall, celebrated literary excellence through tributes to distinguished intellectuals, the awarding of the “My First Book” prizes, recognition of the best exhibition stand, and the launch of the innovative “Locomotive of Knowledge” initiative promoting public reading.
In her address, Minister Bendouda hailed “an exceptional participation and a culturally and intellectually rich content,” asserting that this year’s edition projected “a luminous image of Algeria — an Algeria that reads, reflects, and communicates.” She emphasized that “the reading project is not a circumstantial event but a national orientation we strive to entrench through an ambitious and comprehensive vision aimed at making reading a daily practice in the lives of Algerians.”
With a record-breaking 5,606,000 visitors, Bendouda underscored that this remarkable turnout reflects “the thirst for knowledge and intellectual enrichment that characterizes Algerian society, and the central place that reading occupies in the nation’s collective consciousness.”
SILA Commissioner Mohamed Iguerb confirmed that this 28th edition “has shattered all attendance records,” noting that as of Friday, November 7, more than 5.6 million visitors had been registered since the fair’s opening on October 30. “The peak was reached on November 7, with 850,914 visitors in a single day,” he revealed, calling the numbers a “powerful testimony to the vitality of Algeria’s cultural landscape.”
The ceremony also honored the winners of the “My First Book” contest, designed to encourage emerging literary voices and first-time authors. Chaired by academic Inchirah Saâdi, the jury received 75 manuscripts and awarded four promising writers: Walid Sairi for his Arabic novel “The Wings of Rebellion” (Ahlam Editions), Khadidja Benkerou for her Tamazight work “For Your Face, O Liberty” (Tinhinan Editions), Selma Chergui for her English-language novel “The Knight of the Sea” (El Bayazin Editions), and Abdelmalek Azzaoui for his French work “À Contre-Flux” (El Mouthaqaf Editions). Meanwhile, the prize for the best exhibition stand was awarded to the “Art and Prestige Book Space”, designed by the National Library of Algeria and dedicated to fine art publications.
In a moment of cultural recognition, several luminaries of literature and academia were honored for their contributions to Algerian intellectual life, including Professors Abdelhamid Bourayou, Christiane Chaulet Achour, Abdelhamid Chekil, Habiba Mohamedi, poet Nadia Nouacer, and writers Bachir Khalef and Makhlouf Ameur.
Minister Bendouda also took part in the launch of the “Locomotive of Knowledge” project, in partnership with Setram, aimed at bringing books closer to citizens through a mobile library aboard the tramway. This innovative cultural venture allows commuters to discover a curated selection of books across various disciplines and access a digital library via QR codes displayed inside the tram cars. The initiative will expand to cover tram networks across Algeria’s provinces, reinforcing the country’s commitment to democratizing access to culture and learning.
Under the high patronage of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, this year’s edition — held under the slogan “The Book, a Crossroads of Cultures” — gathered 1,254 exhibitors from 49 countries, with Mauritania as the guest of honor. More than 140,000 titles spanning diverse genres were showcased, accompanied by a vibrant cultural program that explored memory, history, literature, and creativity. An international colloquium titled “Algeria in Civilization” and special tributes to literary icons Abdelhamid Benheddouga, Rachid Boudjedra, and Frantz Fanon further enriched the fair’s intellectual dimension.
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