Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda has authorized the creation of new international festivals dedicated to children's literature in Algiers and Ouargla. These initiatives were formalized through two official decisions published in Issue 70 of the Official Gazette on July 1, 2026. The event in Algiers is designated as the International Cultural Festival for the Industry of Children's and Youth Literature, while the gathering in Ouargla is titled the International Cultural Festival for Children's and Youth Literature.
Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda issued these two decisions as part of a formal administrative process to establish the international festivals for children's literature in Algiers and Ouargla. The publication of these directives in the Official Gazette, specifically Issue 70, serves as the legal foundation for the launch of these cultural programs. By codifying these festivals in the July 1, 2026 edition of the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Culture and Arts has established the regulatory framework required for the organization and management of the events.
The designation of the festival in Algiers as the International Cultural Festival for the Industry of Children's and Youth Literature notes a specific focus on the professional and creative aspects of the sector. Simultaneously, the festival in Ouargla, titled the International Cultural Festival for Children's and Youth Literature, serves to broaden the geographic reach of these literary initiatives. Both titles reflect the formal scope of the projects as outlined in the ministerial decisions finalized by Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda.
These additions follow an earlier expansion of the national cultural calendar. In February 2026, the government issued a decision to establish an international cultural festival for children's literature in Constantine. That mandate appeared in Issue 28 of the Official Gazette, dated February 24, 2026. Together, these three locations represent the state's current infrastructure for hosting international literary events focused on young readers.
The inclusion of Constantine in the national cultural calendar earlier in the year established a precedent for the subsequent authorization of the festivals in Algiers and Ouargla. The administrative sequence began with the February 24, 2026, publication in Issue 28 of the Official Gazette, which authorized the Constantine event. This initial step provided the structural model that was later applied to the two new festivals authorized by Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda in July.
The establishment of these three distinct international festivals—in Algiers, Ouargla, and Constantine—marks the current extent of the state’s commitment to children's and youth literature. By utilizing the Official Gazette as the primary vehicle for these mandates, the government ensures that the legal requirements for each festival are clearly defined. The events in Algiers and Ouargla, as detailed in the July 1, 2026, publication, are now integrated into the broader framework of national cultural planning alongside the previously established festival in Constantine. The Ministry of Culture and Arts continues to oversee these developments to ensure the implementation of the objectives set forth in the respective issues of the Official Gazette.
