The United Kingdom will celebrate Sharjah, the honorary guest of the London International Book Fair 2020, which takes place at the Olympia Exhibition Center, from 10 to 12 March, as the emirate participates in a special pavilion under the supervision of Sharjah Book Authority, through which it displays the creative and cultural products of 22 Emirati institutions.
Sharjah gathers creative figures from the emirates’s cultural movement in an open dialogue with their British counterparts, during which they review the foundations on which the cultural and humanitarian project was based on His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and they offer seven intellectual discussion sessions, literary forums, and poetry evenings And competitions in translation into Arabic, and stop at the features of the novel and Emirati and Arabic poetry, in addition to the corresponding efforts to confirm the identity and local folklore.
Sharjah, during its participation in the exhibition, reviews opportunities for effective cooperation and partnership between the UAE and the UK in various fields of knowledge, as the Sharjah Book Authority provides sponsorship to five local publishing houses, to support opportunities to enhance cooperation in publishing and translation with their counterparts in the United Kingdom and the world, and opens the door for work Joint with other institutions specialized in the publishing sector.
The horizon of dialogue
The head of the Sharjah Book Authority, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al-Amiri, said: “The choice of Sharjah, the guest of honor at the London International Book Fair, expresses appreciation for the civilizational project built by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Building with different cultures of the world, through the portal of knowledge, creativity and culture, as Sharjah presents during the exhibition - which is one of the largest book fairs in the world - its civilized project, and the Emirates cultural experience in front of various countries of the world ».
Al Amri added: “Sharjah Book Authority, in its supervision of the emirate’s activities in the exhibition, focuses on providing a global platform for writers, publishers and creators, through which it can build a base for joint work and future cooperation at various levels, as we develop a comprehensive program in which the Emirati poet, novelist and researcher meets with his counterpart The English, and the publisher discusses the job opportunities with publishers from different languages and cultures, and at the same time we put the exhibition's audience in front of features of the local folklore, with its aesthetic and creative values.
For his part, the director of the London International Book Fair, Jack Thomas said: “We are honored to welcome this elite of writers at this year's edition of the exhibition, and we thank our partners in the British Council and the Sharjah Book Authority for their constructive cooperation in developing this rich program, which It reflects the role of the exhibition in opening the doors of cultural dialogue and trade cooperation with various countries of the world, ”adding:“ We hope that publishers and readers can invest in this event, to enrich their knowledge of cultural heritage and the reality of authorship. ”
Experiences
Sharjah organizes a series of literary sessions and seminars, in cooperation with the British Council, in a number of British educational and academic institutions, and provides an opportunity for visitors of the exhibition to meet a group of flags of contemporary Emirati literature, as it reviews Muhammad Al Murr, Omar Saif Ghobash, Sultan Al-Amimi and Iman Al-Youssef, the Emirati experience in the field of writing and writing, and its position in Arabic literature, while Kholoud Al-Mualla and Afrah Atiq presented readings in the poem and the aesthetics of Arabic poetry.
The activities of the emirate, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Musallam and writer Dubai Abu Al-Houl, will gather during a dialogue session on the impact of popular fairy tales on the authorship movement in the Emirates. Sharjah's events in the exhibition include a dialogue session on the role of the book in activating the Emirati cultural movement, presented by the Emirati theater actor Habib Ghuloom Al-Attar with Abdullah Al-Nuaimi, to continue the sessions with a dialogue in which the author Salha Obaid writer Reem Al Kamali meets.
A portal for the publishing market
Sharjah Book Authority, during its participation in the exhibition, sheds light on the growth witnessed by the publishing sectors in the UAE and the region during the past few years, as well as exploring opportunities to support the Arab book and spread Arab culture on a global level.
The Authority is reviewing its pioneering initiative to advance the publishing sector in the country, the most prominent of which is the Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, the first free zone of its kind in the world for publishing and printing, as well as introducing participants to the reality of the distribution and printing industry in the Arab market. The authority devotes a set of sessions aimed at discussing challenges and opportunities in the field of translation from and into Arabic, and many other topics, in addition to providing detailed information on the "Sharjah International Book Fair Grant for Translation and Rights".
Busy suite
The Sharjah Pavilion, a guest of honor at the London International Book Fair, which is supervised by Sharjah Book Authority, includes representatives of a number of cultural bodies and institutions, including: the Union of Writers and Writers of the Emirates, the Sharjah World Capital Book Office 2019, the Association of Emirati Publishers, the Department of Culture in Sharjah, and the Department of Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi for Gulf Studies, the Sharjah Heritage Institute, the Sharjah Radio and Television Authority, the Nama Foundation for the Advancement of Women, the "Heritage" Council for Contemporary Crafts, the University of Sharjah, the Sharjah Publishing City, Al Qasimi Publications, the Emirates Council for Young Adults, a word group, and culture b The limits, initiative 1001 title, Libraries and Information Emirates Society, Sharjah Authority for Antiquities and the National Theater of Sharjah, Sharjah Art Foundation, Intellectual Property and the Emirates Society.
Exhibition director: “We hope that we can enrich readers’ knowledge of cultural heritage. ”
Highlighting the growth witnessed in the UAE publishing sectors.
10
Next March, exhibition activities will start in the British capital.