World Book and Copyright Day 2021: Books our best friend during pandemic!

Jafrin Khandker

April 28, 2021

Books are our best friend that never leaves us alone. World Book Day is celebrated every year on April 23. The day is also known as the World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book. To promote the importance of reading, lifelong affection for literature, and inculcate joy and faster the growth of readers and emphasize the pleasure of reading, UNESCO introduced the event that is now celebrated in more than 100 countries.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when the world has seen periods of confinement, and people have had to stay at their home, books have proved to be the best companion, powerful tools to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand horizons, and precisely stimulating minds and creativity. 

In some countries, the number of books reading has been doubled.  

A Brief History: 

In 1995, UNESCO decided to celebrate April 23 as World Book Day or World Book and Copyright Day, and since then, the date has prominent in the history of literature. The significance of the date April 23 that bears witness to the birth and death of several distinguished authors worldwide like William Shakespeare, Cervantes, Josep Pla, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Manuel Mejia Vallejo, Haldor K Laxness and Maurice Druon.

To select the World Book Capital for one year, each year, UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry consist of – the publishers, booksellers and libraries. The eventful day celebrates all three aspects to promote reading, publishing and copyright. 

Keeping Covid-19 in mind, this year’s World Book and Copyright Day theme are “To share a story.”

Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, has been chosen to be the World Book Capital in 2021.

Every year, numerous events are held on this day, but this year, due to the widespread Covid-19 virus, most educational institutions are closed for the safety of their students, teachers, and staff.

People spending time at home can download a good book through the internet and read positive books and gain knowledge.

This year, as part of their celebration of World’s Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO has devised a ‘Bookface’ challenge. To explore new topics, formats and practices out of their ordinary, UNESCO encouraged people to challenge themselves, “Our goal is to engage people in reading, and to have fun doing so! As a celebration of this year’s World’s Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO has created a ‘Bookface’ challenge,” it said on its website. bookfaceChallenge(link is external).