Year 2021 declared Year of Reading in Croatia

ZAGREB, Dec 30 (Hina) – The year 2021 will be a Year of Reading in Croatia, the government decided on Wednesday, which means that a series of activities will be conducted to promote the culture of reading and enable as many people as possible to read with understanding and enjoy it.

The slogan will be “Let us read not to be left without words.”

The declaration of the Year of Reading is part of a measure from the action plan of the National Strategy to Revive Book Reading, adopted in 2017 to contribute to the development of the culture of reading.

Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek said that the decision to declare next year the Year of Reading had been made, among other things, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that reading was one of the cultural activities we turn to in such circumstances.

During the Year of Reading, new activities will be created and carried out — the award for the best bookstore will be presented, there will be a competition for the best book trailer for primary and secondary school students, “reading ambassadors” will be proclaimed, an international reading conference will be organised, youth award for literature will be presented, little night readings will take place — all of which will contribute to the affirmation of reading.

“Last week, a European Social Fund tender worth HRK 41 million was launched, and all funds will be additionally invested in programmes promoting reading,” the minister added.

The decision underscores the importance of reading since models of identification found in literature offer opportunities for more successful understanding of interpersonal communication, better conflict resolution and a fuller understanding of what helps or threatens us in life.