Lifestyle is a global issue that relates “to the outer layer of a culture comprising cultural commodities and production” rather than ethical beliefs or values, deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi said, at the inauguration of the first national book exhibition in Iranian-Islamic lifestyle in Tehran recently.
Highlighting the importance of the issue as stressed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, he pointed to three major concerns of lifestyle thinkers. “Globalization is the first concern voiced by UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as well, due to its orientation towards western culture which is seen to threaten regional and ethnic culture and identity,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
Urbanization is another threat as it endangers rural heritage in terms of population, culture and identity. “Preference of a metropolitan lifestyle puts the country at the risk of losing its cultural diversity, which is the third concern.”
The exhibition aims to introduce the best lifestyle “compatible with our identity, taking advantage of books as a perennial element of our culture,” he said, calling for more professional book exhibitions that focus on pertiment subjects.
The meetings envisaged on the sidelines of the exhibition will provide a platform for authors and publishers to exchange ideas, as well as book readers to stay updated, leading to an improvement of the book culture, he noted.
The exhibition held at Laleh International Hotel, will run till March 15, displaying 5,000 books by 200 publishers.
