Over 132,000 books donated during Book Season campaign
Morocco, Culture, 2/18/2004

Over 132,000 books were donated by Moroccans during the "book season" book-collecting operation held nationwide by the Moroccan department of youth, announced Mohamed El Gahs, secretary of state for youth.

The official said in an interview with Moroccan TV channel "2M" the figure will increase as several persons wished for extending the campaign, explaining that beyond book donations, the operation means to promote awareness on the importance of books and to give books the place they deserve as a source of knowledge and entertainment and as a tool to refine tastes and shape personalities.

According to studies conducted in Morocco, the low interest in books is a result of high rates of illiteracy among Moroccans -- nearly 50%, the weak purchasing power and the high prices of books, in addition to the prevailing culture of image and the growing interest in the Internet.

El Gahs stressed that books need to be the basis in the democratic and modernist social project that Morocco is trying to build, citing the need for rehabilitating libraries, providing reading spaces and training moderators and instructors.

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