The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development announced its contribution to the crisis fund for Emirati publishers through the national program to support creators, with the aim of helping publishing houses in the country to sustain their cultural works, providing the community with continuous cultural and knowledge production, and overcoming the economic challenges facing publishers under critical conditions.
Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, founder and honorary president of the Association of Emirati Publishers, said: “Preserving our heritage stories, our cultural identity, and the continuation of knowledge and cultural production is essential, especially in times of crisis. This sector can overcome this crisis with minimal losses, and continue to perform its cultural and heritage function to the fullest. ”
Sheikha Badour Al Qasimi added: “Many workers in the book market may view what was imposed by the spread of the new Corona virus (Covid-19) as a crisis that we have to wait for it to end, but what must be understood is that this circumstance is nothing but an experience within which there are opportunities to overcome it And the Emirati cultural experience has proven its specificity in dealing with these changes and responding to them quickly, which makes us confident about the future of the cultural movement and its impact on knowledge makers in the Emirates.
The Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi expressed her thanks to Sheikha Badour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, founder and honorary president of the Emirates Publishers Association, for this pioneering initiative that reflects the UAE’s keenness to support affected publishers from stopping their work in recent months.
"This initiative enhances the publishing industry in the country, contributes to the production of distinct cultural content, supports Emirati publishers, and charts a prosperous future for them by increasing the presence of Emirati writers in the digital world, allowing them to play a leadership role in the path of the creative economy by increasing the competitiveness of the Emirati publisher." , And upgrade the cultural and knowledge movement in the country. The UAE has a pioneering experience in the publishing industry sector, as Sharjah embraces the first free zone of its kind in the world specializing in the publishing and printing sector, and we also worked with the Publishers Association to provide more incentives, by exempting all publishers within the country from the international numbering fees for books in order to support Their knowledge projects.