Read for Humanity: Children’s Smiles and Reading Optimism are the Main Impressions of the First Days of the Expo 2027 Playground Campaign

The opening days of the“Read for Humanity” national campaign at the Expo 2027 Playground were marked by children’s joy and broad smiles as they met the famous children’s character Geronimo Stilton, and great reading optimism, as the first 27 hours of reading already resulted in a tree being planted in the future Expo Park.

The appearance of the renowned Italian author Elisabetta Dami, creator of the Geronimo Stilton series, at the International Belgrade Book Fair drew a large crowd to the Expo 2027 Playground, especially children with their parents. Speaking in Serbian to a packed hall, Elisabetta Dami introduced her book Geronimo Stilton: Let’s Explore Italy! One Hundred Wonders, published by the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade, was accompanied by the mascot of the famous mouse, which caused great excitement among the youngest.

The little ones patiently queued to have their photo taken with their superhero and to receive an autograph from the author, showing that reading books is, in fact, an unending life game that every person carries within from their first steps.

The book promotion by the Italian author was also attended by H.E. Luca Gori, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Serbia, who emphasised that reading is extremely important for growth and understanding other cultures.

“Those who read live many more lives than their own, so it is a kind of vitality multiplier that each of us should use,” added the Italian ambassador, praising the opening of the reading room as an overture to Expo 2027.

The programme of the first day of the“Read for Humanity” campaign was rounded off by Adriaan van der Weel, Professor at Leiden University (Netherlands), who delivered a highly inspiring lecture on the lasting importance of reading, especially printed books, presenting it as one of the best ways to understand the world around us.

Prof. Van der Weel noted that the “Read for Humanity” campaign is fantastic, and it is great that there is a space where you can surrender to reading without feeling “weird” because you sit and read.

“It is truly wonderful that reading is getting more space – literally, physical space – because people must give it space in their lives, in terms of time and attention. I think this is a way to make reading publicly visible, which is extremely valuable, because that is precisely what many people lack in their experience,” he said, congratulating the organisers on the initiative.

Among the first visitors to the reading room at the Expo 2027 Playground was Wang Jun, Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Belgrade, who contributed to this celebration of books and the green initiative of the company EXPO 2027 doo Belgrade by reading. Announcing further cooperation with the organisers of the first International Exhibition in the Western Balkans as part of strengthening the cultural ties between China and Serbia, Jun expressed particular satisfaction that a copy of the historically significant book China Illustrata by Athanasius Kircher from 1667 is preserved in Serbia and will be displayed as one of the main exhibits within the “Read for Humanity” campaign.

Visitors to the Expo 2027 Playground will be able to view original editions of true bibliophile treasures until 2 November, such as the first Serbian translation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin from 1853, History of Byzantium by Prof. Dragutin Atanasijević, as well as the first photomonography of Serbia and works that revealed the Balkans to Europe. Readers participating in the “Read for Humanity” campaign will be able to read valuable works from personal libraries of Serbian culture and science luminaries in the Expo 2027 Playground reading room: from Mihailo Petrović Alas and Pavle Vuisić to Ružica Sokić, Felix Pašić, and Donka Špiček.

The reading room in Hall 5 of the Belgrade Fair is open to the public every day until 2 November, from 12 PM to 8 PM. The entrance is free.