His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, said that the title of Sharjah as the World Capital of the Book was not the ultimate goal of Sharjah to stand with him, and will continue its cultural journey until the Arab and Islamic nation regains the place befitting its history, heritage and achievements that have filled the world with light and knowledge.

During the opening ceremony of the 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness pointed out that culture built patience and the path of culture was not just an option, but the only way to reach the desired goal.

The events started at the Sharjah Expo Center, under the slogan "Open a book, open minds".

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah started his speech by saying, "Welcome to the United Arab Emirates and the Emirate of Sharjah, and we are pleased to host you every year in this place dear to the heart of everyone in us. Welcome to the welcoming knowledge and presence of the book and the history and civilizations that came between the pages of the book "We welcome Mexico as the guest of honor for the Sharjah International Book Fair for this session."

"Forty years ago, Sharjah was not what you see now, and nobody expected to build all these cultural achievements, but we knew that we were reaching this place thanks to God, and thanks to the clarity of vision and determination to implement it," he said. As I personally learned,

In spite of the patience that the journey of culture needs, it was not just an option, but the only way to reach our goals, we wanted a stable society that is high in its ethics and relations, and a sustainable and conscious economy for its purposes, and a science in which we build our renaissance, and all this is achieved only by knowledge, science and writers.

Today, in 2019, UNESCO has chosen Sharjah as the World Book Capital, a place that merits efforts, planning and vigilance.With UNESCO, along with international institutions such as the International Publishers Association and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, we have set precise criteria for choosing the World Book Capital. These standards have been met by Sharjah during its long journey, and are embodied in every scene in the emirate, in the library of each house, the culture of every child, youth and youth, in the ethics of institutions and plans for the future, in the aspirations of generations and the stability of society and raised and progress, and in the volume of cultural events Anguish throughout the year and the extent of citizens and residents wrap around and demand for them, but the extent of its commitment to the regional Bamgaha humanitarian values ​​"

His Highness added: One of the criteria was talking about freedom of publication and expression, it is customary to think that our region lacks these values, but the fact that culture needs freedom to grow, it is like a plant if placed in a small pot or mold that must die or maim, but we We gave it its space and opened its horizons for the future.In contrast, in order not to exploit the culture to harm society, we raised responsibility in every breath.We fostered individual belonging to the group.We conquered the public interest over narrow interests.We were keen to encourage our own cultural experience related to our roots and heritage.Freedom came responsible and committed to the interest of society. And supportive of development and progress. "

His Highness said: "Lord, who asks what next, where to go Sharjah, and we answer, and the title was not our final goal until we stop at him, and we will continue our cultural journey until we regain the status of our nation befitting its history and heritage and achievements that filled the world light and knowledge .. Culture is a project of solid dignity , Manifested in the nation's self-confidence and its ability to contribute to the manufacture of a future that protects it from ignorance and confusion in the darkness.

His Highness stressed that the confident nations reinforced by science cannot be compromised, while ignorance degrades the status of strong nations, even if they possess all the equipment and mechanisms of the universe.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said, "For several years, we are still working on our cultural project in the Arab world, where poetry houses spread throughout the Arab world, and the Sharjah Narrative Forum - the story and the novel - the Arab creativity of youth, theater and festivals in every Arab country, and I felt During that tender, the lights of the eighteenth century still illuminate, and that our writers and writers are no less taller than the writers and writers of that century, so let us unite and decide that this century is the century of the lights of the Arab nation, to remove the darkness and raise the banner of rationality. Then His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah honored Dr. Yomna Al Eid with the cultural personality of the year shield.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah honored the winners of the Sharjah International Book Fair Awards, where he received the Sharjah Award for Best Emirati Book (in the field of the novel) by the UAE writer Abdullah Al Nuaimi for his book “Zubaydah Apartment”.

Abdullah Salim Emara from Palestine, Latifa Ali Obaid from the UAE, and Afra Rashid Al Basti from the UAE were awarded the book "Summary in the History of the United Arab Emirates from Prehistory to Civilization and Political 1971". The field of theatrical texts) Saleh Karama Al Ameri, the UAE writer for the play "Take the Earth".

The prize for the best Emirati book (printed on the UAE) by the Syrian writer Izzat Omar for his book "The impact of modernity and beyond in the narrative text of the Emirati", and (Prize for the best Arabic book in the field of the novel) by Maqbool Musa al-Alawi from Saudi Arabia for his novel "Taif Hallaj , While the American writer Amy S. Edmundsen, for her book "Organize Without Fear," was handed over on her behalf by Amer Chitwa, director of sales for Willie, while Nigerian writer Shiloshi Onimilukwe Onubia was awarded for her book "Son of the House."

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah also honored the winners of the publishing houses awards.He was awarded the Best Local Publishing House for 2019 `` Hodhod Publishing and Distribution House '', and won the Best Arab Publishing House 2019 `` Dar Al Ma'aref Foundation '' in Egypt, while the Best Foreign Publishing House Award for 2019 It was won by the Austrian publishing house Adeva Graz.

The Turjman Prize was awarded to the Italian publishing house from Rome, Edizione e / o, for its translation of the novel "Little Death" by the Italian novelist Mohammad Hassan Alwan. The Dar al-Saqi of Beirut won the Arab Publishing House Award. The first Arabic of the novel itself.
HE Ahmed Bin Rakad Al Amri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, said in his speech during the opening of the exhibition, "History mentions that if the Arabs wanted to take care of something they presented." We in the Emirate of Sharjah, provided knowledge and book on architecture and industry, it was that we all succeeded Science on projects, development came based on knowledge and awareness of the needs of society. "

"In reading the experience of the past four decades, we see that this success of our cultural project with its clear manifestations before you today, is the result of several factors, the first of which is the fruit of our commitment to our heritage and our Emirati heritage, which we worked to develop projects, programs and policies to become an inherent characteristic of the UAE in the arena of global culture. The second is the Arab dimension of our cultural project. His Highness was keen to revive the movement of poetry, theater and novel in Arab cities and capitals, Sharjah embraces the dreams and aspirations of Arab intellectuals, every successful project needs an incubator, and this is our regional incubator.

He continued, `` The local incubator is the third factor. We in Sharjah do not think separately, but we think as a single society with all its components, individuals and institutions, we are moving harmoniously towards one goal, which is an advanced society in its humanity, attitudes and achievements. The fourth factor is that culture in Sharjah is not a strange plant. In the garden of our achievements, but an inherent component in it, integrates with society and the economy and internal and external relations, it is the fabric of our being and the arteries of our power, and Sharjah can not be conceived today without culture, or mention of culture unless Sharjah mentioned.

Juan Luis Arzoz, President of the National Association of Publishers of Mexico, delivered a speech in which he praised Mexico's selection as the guest of honor for the 38th session, and the cultural and knowledge diversity reflected in Mexico, noting that Mexico's publishing industry is an essential industry, an option that promotes national identity. And values ​​Mexican society.

The President of the National Union of Publishers of Mexico thanked the United Arab Emirates and the Emirate of Sharjah for their great efforts in promoting culture and building cultural bridges and civilizational and human communication between nations and peoples.

In turn, the writer and critic Dr. Yomna Al-Eid delivered a speech on the occasion of her honoring the cultural personality of the year, expressing her great pride in this honor, considering that this honor is for the culture in general and the female writer in particular, in recognition of the role of the writer in enriching the Arab culture and humanity.

She drew attention to the memories that she collects in the emirate of Sharjah, memories of celebrating culture and intellectuals, and writers, writers and writer without discrimination on the borders of identity and thought and belonging and without discrimination between the writer and writer.

In her speech, Eid called on Arab cultural institutions to pay attention to the paper book and promote its publication through the establishment of international book fairs because of its importance in consolidating the culture of reading among young people and increasing the awareness of knowledge among members of society.

The opening ceremony featured a film highlighting Sharjah's efforts to support the cultural march in light of the wise vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, which made the emirate a beacon of science and culture and its people to be crowned the World Book Capital in 2019.