Brisk turnout at Sharjah International Book Fair on Day 1
Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Sharjah: Hundreds of students, besides families, from across the UAE thronged Expo Centre Sharjah on the opening day of the 41st Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on Wednesday.
Emirati student Maria, 14, a Year 9 student at Um Amara High School in Khor Fakkan, described the annual book fair as “magical”. She told Gulf News: “I come here every year with my classmates and friends to look for books that enrich our imagination and take us to places that are magical.”
Image Credit: Angel Teseroro/Gulf News
Her friends Afra and Haneen, meanwhile, prefer thriller and young adult novels.
Pakistani mother Sumaira Shaikh Nawal, who brought her six-year daughter Shaikh Nawal, was looking for recreational books. Other young students are hooked for Harry Potter series and popular children’s literature written by Roald Dahl and Jacqueline Wilson.
One of them, Imran, said, “The fair is so vast. There are so many books to choose from here, I feel like picking up all of them.”
Image Credit: Angel Teseroro/Gulf News
Free to attend
Entrance to the book fair is free and visitors could treat themselves to meeting more than 100 writers and intellectuals from 57 countries during the 12-day educational and cultural extravaganza that will run until November 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
Dubbed as the “world’s largest book fair” in terms of buying and selling of copyrights for the second year in a row, this year’s edition of SIBF carries the theme ‘Spread the Word’ and is bringing together 2,213 publishers from 95 countries and displaying more than 1.5 million books. There are also 123 theatrical performances and musicals.
New cultural achievement
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority which organises SIBF every year, said: “Today, we celebrate a new cultural achievement bearing the imprint of the emirate of Sharjah and its cultural project, which was launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who firmly believes that building strong societies and civilisations can only be achieved through knowledge and books.
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“This achievement is a source of pride and honour for Sharjah, the UAE and the Arab world, because it confirms the emirate’s role in advancing the book industry, and presents an honourable image of the authentic Arab culture that has contributed to the advancement of Eastern and Western civilisations around the world.”
Close cultural connections
Sheikh Sultan inaugurated the 41st SIBF on Tuesday evening. He said: “The opening of the 41st SIBF marks the beginning of a celebration of 12 days of cultural activities and is an opportunity for children, youth and families across the UAE to enrich their learning in arts and sciences, and forge close connections with cultures across the world through books of diverse genres at the fair.”
“The past edition of the annual SIBF witnessed the launch of 17 volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language and this year, we are launching a new set of 19 volumes. These 36 volumes document nine letters of the Arabic alphabet and I would like to express my gratitude to the researchers, linguists, and experts for their untiring dedication and efforts that have led to this great accomplishment,” he added.
The Sharjah Ruler also honoured Sudanese historian Yusuf Fadl Hasan, as this year’s ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’. Born in Al Mahmiyya, Sudan, in 1932, Hasan has published more than 30 books, including ‘The Arabs and Sudan: From the Seventh to the Early 16th Century’ (1966), ‘Introduction to the History of Islamic States in Eastern Sudan’, ‘Studies in Sudanese History. He also co-edited ‘Tabaqat wad Dayf Allah’.
More to follow
