They emphasized that it gives the reader the opportunity to see the latest local publications

Creators and Publishers: The UAE Book Fair shines a light on our own identity

Emirati publishers and creators confirmed that the UAE Book Fair is an important opportunity to create a local cultural movement, and provides the reader with the opportunity to view the latest publications of Emirati publishing houses that the exhibition has collected under one roof.

They considered that the exhibition represented a major step in enriching the cultural scene, through communication between writers and publishers, and through discussions and qualitative sessions that shed light on the advancement of the publishing movement in the Emirates, and the importance of translation in creating a global presence for Emirati writers.

The storyteller and novelist Salha Obaid said, "Caring for the Emirati writer and culture is an important part of the Sharjah cultural project, which began more than 40 years ago, and the importance of the second session of this exhibition is that it came after the pandemic, which makes the presence of the Emirati writer in live events known as his project on the map." The local culture in the UAE, which we are aware of its diversity and the richness of its writers.

She explained that the exhibition lays out a road map for the Emirati book to take its place in line with the impact of the presence of Emirati creators on the level of Arab culture.

For her part, writer Nadia Al-Najjar saw that the importance of the Emirati Book Fair comes from the fact that the local publisher, writer and reader find in the exhibition a space to express Emirati culture, and what reflects the local identity in creativity and authorship, which makes the exhibition an Emirati privacy, and reveals to the reader and interested the level it has reached. The book industry in the Emirates in terms of form and content.

And she continued, "We need this exhibition because of its distinctive character and different familiarity from all exhibitions, especially as it contributes to revitalizing the cultural movement, brings together Emirati writers, enhances their communication, and gives us the indicator by which we measure the size of the Emirati cultural movement through books and new publications for publishing houses, Through the cultural issues that are addressed in the sessions and discussions between publishers and writers, this makes us look forward to its next session.”

As for the owner of Ghaf publishing house, Afra Mahmoud, she said: “As Emirati publishers, we have many opportunities to present our publications and convey a diverse image that reflects the interests of Emirati authors in the various fields of literature, knowledge, history, heritage and children’s literature. Despite the importance of our participation in international exhibitions, we We find the Emirati Book Fair of particular importance, because it highlights the local publishing movement and sheds light on it more broadly.”

She added: "The importance of the exhibition lies in the fact that it provides publishing houses with an opportunity to strengthen the link with the reader who is passionate about the Emirati book, and provides a service to the reader and the publisher together, especially since we have researchers, university students and a segment of readers interested in the Emirati book, which expresses the local national culture with its heritage, present and aspirations towards the future."

Nice painting

Poet Hassan Al-Najjar considered the Emirati Book Fair, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, “a beautiful panel that includes works, writings and research that reflects the literary and critical features of the creative scene in the Emirates from different generations, especially with the emergence of a new generation of writers who have enthusiasm to add something new to the world.” Emirati book, and this enhances the value of the exhibition, through which we learn about the size and status of our rich cultural scene.”

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