Iraqi NGO distributes books for free to encourage reading

STORY: Iraqi NGO distributes books for free to encourage reading DATELINE: Nov. 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:06 LOCATION: Baghdad CATEGORY: EDUCATION SHOTLIST: 1. various of the event 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): INTSAR AL-MAYALI, Member of the festival's organizing committee 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MUSTAFA MOHAMMED, Member of the NGO STORYLINE: An Iraqi NGO launched a festival Saturday to distribute in Baghdad more than 40,000 books on various topics for free to encourage reading in the country. The organization, named "I am Iraqi.. I read," held its 9th edition of the annual festival in Abu Nawas Street on the bank of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad. The organization, concerned with youth's cultural self-development, also held other cultural activities such as drawing, singing, and music on the sidelines of the festival. The distributed books are the result of months of collecting from Iraqi publishing houses, bookstore owners, university professors, intellectuals, and writers. The festival was launched i