Many residents of Kabul believe that the interest in books has dropped as young people are focusing on social media instead of reading.  

April 23rd, the World Book and Copyright Day, was apparently not well-celebrated this year in Afghanistan as the nation is struggling with various challenges.  

“One of the reasons is that the economic situation of the people has deteriorated and the second is that the youths are paying attention to social media,” said Rahmatullah, a resident of Kabul.  

“Many people are struggling with economic problems,” said Haseebullah, a resident of Kabul.  

However, some the youth who visited a library in Kabul called on the citizens to read books to increase their knowledge.  

“We call on the youth to study books,” said Zahid, a resident of Kabul.  

Some book sellers called on the officials of the current government to consider publishing books in the country.  

“The level of knowledge among the people is low but we still see people are coming here. There should be good attention for books’ publishment,” said Safiullah, a book seller.  

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named April 23rd as World Book and Copyright Day.  

April 23rd also marks the death anniversary of a famous English writer and poet, William Shakespeare.