Mexico is honoring the Emirate of Sharjah, guest of honor at the 36th edition of the Mexico City International Book Fair, from November 26 to December 4. During its attendance, Sharjah displays 57 Emirati publications translated into Spanish and exhibits a wealth of cultural, literary, media, artistic and heritage events and activities, including 27 sessions, presented by 20 cultural institutions and organizations and 24 Emirati and Arab writers and creators. The Sharjah Book Authority, which is involved under its umbrella: Sharjah Publishing City, Translation Grant, Sharjah International Agency for Literary Rights and the Arab Forum of Children's Book Publishers, "oversees the Emirate's program in the exhibition.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, stated: “In this global celebration of the cultural project of the Emirate of Sharjah, we reap the fruits of a wise vision developed by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, in which he emphasized that the strongest bonds that unite the world’s civilizations are the bonds of culture With all its manifestations, this is why we embody in the activities of Sharjah, the guest of honor of the Mexico International Book Fair, the common aesthetic size that brings together Arab culture with its counterpart in Mexico, and highlight the unique creative identity of the UAE through its symbols of writers, artists and creators.
The Emirate offers a rich cultural program that embodies the UAE's cultural message and helps introduce the Mexican people to Arab culture, as it includes a number of book launch parties, readings, folklore performances and poetry evenings.
The activities of the Emirate's program take place in a huge pavilion to which the exhibition management has allocated a large space at the entrance of the exhibition, and it includes a number of discussion sessions, dialogue seminars and cultural, media and film forums, including a symposium entitled "Arabic Vocabulary and its Impact on the Spanish Language" and a discussion session entitled "Marketing Trends." Books," and a media forum on the role of the media in strengthening ties between the UAE and Mexico, and another cultural one on travel literature in the two countries.
Arabic calligraphy features prominently in the exhibition, where representatives from Sharjah discuss its history, origins and impact on world cultures.
The Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum announced the winners of the Award for the Best Child’s Book for the ninth session / 2022, which was granted, according to the jury’s decision, to a number of distinguished and outstanding works that fulfilled the Award criteria, namely:
Firstly: Early Childhood Books Category:
The Book entitled (Do Not Call Animals Out Loud)
The writer: Tamara Kashha and illustrations were made by Anna Zurita; the publisher: Dar Al Yasmeen / Jordan.
Secondly: Middle Childhood Books Category:
The Book entitled (This is why Rayan walks like this): The writer: Yahya Ashour and the illustrations were made by Abdullah Qawariq; the publisher: Tamer Institute for Community Education / Palestine.
Thirdly: Young People Books Category:
The Book entitled (The Garden): the writer: Reda Salam and the illustrations were made by Yasser Jaisa; the publisher: Wow Publishing and Educational Services, United Arab Emirates.
On this occasion, the Forum management congratulated the winners, wishing them continued excellence and success and it extended its best wishes to all members of the Forum.
Ms. Aisha Hamad Meghawer, Secretary-General of the Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum, also praised this level of members’ publications, which reflects what the Forum seeks, with respect to serving the child’s book and raising the level of its members’ publications, so that it could remain a tributary that enriches the knowledge among the generations. In addition, it would play its role in upgrading Arab children’s literature. Then, she pointed out that this Award is dedicated for developing the children's book and encouraging the publishers to provide the best quality, which would contribute to motivating children to have and acquire the book, as well as develop their reading habit.
The Award’s jury concluded its work during the past few days in assessing the works participating in the ninth session of the Forum’s Award for the Best Child’s Book through a set of assessment criteria for this Award, which aims at the enhancement of the creative production of publishing house members of the Forum and development of their contributions in the publishing fields of the Arab child’s book.
The winners were honored on Saturday, 14/5/2022 within the activities of the Sharjah Reading Festival.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, said during a press conference held by the Authority at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park yesterday, to reveal the details of the new session: “When (Sharjah International Book Fair) is mentioned, (Sharjah Great Cultural Project) is mentioned as well, and this makes us proud a lot, because in Sharjah we are reaping the fruits of the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, of more than 40 years ago, which he has been taking care of year after year until we reached this day to benefit of the results of this effort.”
He added: “The Fair started as an incubator for a few publishing houses and hundreds of visitors, and today it hosts the largest number of publishers in its history, with 2,213 publishers. The Fair became the first in the world to buy and sell copyright in 2021, and reaching this rank was never a goal for Sharjah, however, what the Fair has achieved is due to what His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah built.”
2,213 publishers from 95 countries, and 129 writers, theorists and innovators from 57 countries, will participate in the revival of 1,047 diverse cultural activities, in the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority under the slogan "A Word to the World", during the period from the second to November 13th at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The Fair celebrates Italy as the guest of honor during its new edition, and sends to its audience and guests through a rich program that covers the axes of Italian culture through activities that address various groups and interests, and provide a comprehensive and vivid picture of the Italian scene, and its civilizational, cultural and artistic richness.
During the press conference, the Consul General of Italy in Dubai, Giuseppe Venociaro, said: "We are pleased to have chosen Italy as the guest of honor for the 41st edition of the Fair, as this confirms the depth of relations between Italy and the UAE at various levels, especially in the cultural and literary sector."
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's fair. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
The Fair will host the “Publishers Conference” in its 12th edition, over three days, from the 30th of this month to the first of November.
As part of its continuous interest in children, the Fair this year dedicated 623 activities for youngsters, ranging from workshops, plays, and entertainment and educational performances. The Fair organizes 123 shows divided between theatrical performances, dance performances, and touring shows.
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's exhibition. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
The Sharjah Book Authority has unveiled the second edition of the "UAE Book Fair", which in cooperation with the Emirates Writers' Union will be staged for five days from 20 to 24 April at the authority's building in Al Zahia area, involving 10 publishing houses that are featuring thousands of publications by UAE writers and editors. The fair welcomes visitors and readers from April 21 from 9pm until 1am, in a spirit of Ramadan, with a packed cultural program of dialogue and discussion sessions, poetry and literary evenings. The fair, via the publishing houses taking part and the program of events, brings together Emirati writers and publishers, and affords readers the opportunity to get to know the new local cultural landscape and its publications. The fair comprises publications from Emirati publishing houses in various fields of knowledge and literature. Publishers specializing in fiction and academic books will have special pavilions.
Sharjah Book Authority Chairman Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri explained that the fair personifies the tremendous development in the country's publishing sector, presenting an opportunity for those who wish to follow the vibrant Emirati cultural and creative scene through the newly emerging local publishing movement. It cements Sharjah's position on the book-producing map and interest in knowledge worldwide."
