Each year, 23 April is celebrated as World Book and Copyright Day, as a symbolic date in world literature. It’s the date on which prominent litterateurs including Peruvian chronicler and writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, and English playwright William Shakespeare died.
23 April was a date of natural choice for UNESCO’s 1995 Paris General Conference to pay a global tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books. On this day, celebrations are held all over the world to recognize the scope of books as a link between the past and the future, and a bridge connecting generations and cultures.
On this occasion, UNESCO and international organisations representing booksellers, libraries, and publishers – the three major sectors in the book industry, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the day’s celebrations.
UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay has named Accra, the capital city of Ghana, as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023, following the evaluation of the World Book Capital advisory committee. Succeeding Mexico’s Guadalajara, the 2022 World Book Capital, Accra was selected for its strong focus on young people and their potential to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana, using the power of books as an effective way of skilling up the next generation.
UNESCO’s theme for 2023 will focus on Indigenous Languages, as part of the United Nation’s priority to uphold and promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism.
By championing books and copyright, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity, and equal access to knowledge, with work across the board – from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing open access to scientific knowledge and educational resources. With the active involvement of all stakeholders including authors, librarians, mass media, NGOs, public and private institutions, publishers, teachers, and all those who feel motivated to work in tandem in this global celebration of books and authors, the World Book and Copyright Day has become a platform to rally together millions of people around the world.
