Today (April 23) marks another great day in the literary world as UNESCO celebrates the 2012 edition of the annual World Book and Copyright Day(WBCD).
The world Book and Copyright Day, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) takes place every April 23rd, to mark the date of death of Shakespeare and other great authors and celebrate the contributions of books and authors to global culture and link between copyrights and books.
This year’s edition of the WBCD also marks the 80th anniversary of the Index Translationum. The Index Translatonum is an international bibliography of translation which provides a unique tool for the monitoring of translation flows in the world.
According to a statement from UNESCO, today’s anniversary will be celebrated by organizing a debate at UNESCO Headquarters to bring together researchers and users of the Index Translationum as well as specialists in the field of translation and book markets ad renowned writers. Nigeria’s Wole Soyinka is also one of the speakers at the event.
By joining in this year’s celebration, writers and readers all over the world have been urged to
1. Share their passion for an author and offer his/her book to people around.
2. Leave a book on a park bench or a metro seat with a note saying “Happy Book and Copyright Day!”
3.Educate yourself on books pirating: respect for copyright encourages the dissemination of knowledge and rewards their creators and publishers.
4. Never throw away your books, get involved in local community or online book swapping and donation campaigns and initiatives.
5. Plan local reading events in schools and libraries and encourage famous guest readers to get involved.
Today has also been dedicated to pay a worldwide tribute to books and their authors and also encourage everyone, especially young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and to gain a renewed respect for the extraordinary contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
