World Book and Copyright Day: UNESCO advocates reading as path to success, preservation of indigenous languages

Today is the World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) 2025 and as usual, in commemoration of the day, the importance of books as the best friends of people; teaching children about the dreamland of princes, princesses, heroes and villains while entertaining adults and maintaining its status as a source of knowledge and inspiration to succeed in life is once more part of the focus.

The theme for the 2025 celebration is “Read Your Way” The theme among other factors, emphasises the enjoyment and freedom associated with reading, promoting the right to choose books and the benefits of making reading a regular habit as part of celebrating the power of books and their ability to connect people across cultures and time.

World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated annually on April 23 and it is an important day in the history of books. The date was selected by the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris in 1995 to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors, it also encourages everyone to access books and it is more significant as several prominent writers like William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died on this day.

For this year’s celebration, UNESCO brings together three major sectors of book industry; publishers, booksellers and libraries. It also selects Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the World Book Capital for its emphasis on literary heritage as well as its promotion of publishing and youth literacy in the face of digitisation.

For last year’s celebration, Strasbourg, Germany, was the World Book Capital and it was selected because the city celebrated linguistic diversity of the world and promoted national book policies. The WBCD also raises awareness about copyright laws.

The theme this year provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, support a child’s right in book choice and embedding a habit of reading with a number of benefits. It further highlights importance of books in human life and safeguards the copyrights of authors.

While it contributes to raise the importance of books, their authors, publishers and libraries, the day highlights the need to preserve indigenous languages and UNESCO is actively encouraging the publishers, libraries and distributors to help the reader have open access to books.

Speaking on this year’s commemoration, the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, said for books to unleash their full potential, it is essential that they reflect the linguistic diversity of our world, adding that “that is why, as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, launched in 2022, UNESCO is supporting publication of books in the indigenous and regional languages.”

April 23 marks the anniversary of the birth or death of a range of well-known writers, including Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Maurice Druon, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Haldor Kiljan Laxness, Manuel Mejía Vallejo, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and William Shakespeare.

A range of activities to promote reading and the cultural aspects of books will be held today all over the world to emphasise international cooperation or friendships between countries.

World Book and Copyright Day is an occasion to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading, renewing respect for those who have made irreplaceable contributions to social and cultural progress.

The year 1995 was named the United Nations Year for Tolerance and UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris, concentrated on this theme. The delegates voted to establish an annual occasion to carry the message of tolerance into the future, in the form of a day to celebrate books, authors and the laws that protect them.

In Catalonia, a region of Spain, April 23 is known as La Diada de Sant Jordi (St George’s Day) and it is traditional for sweethearts to exchange books and roses.

Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare