The Ministry of Culture and Youth has announced yesterday the start of the "Reading Month 2022" under the theme " The UAE Reads ", embodying the national vision, that seeks to pave the way for a generation of readers, strengthening the country's position as a capital of content, culture and knowledge.
The United Arab Emirates celebrates Reading Month every year, in accordance with the decision issued by the Council of Ministers, which established the month of March annually as National Reading Month, a milestone that sets a new pace in the development of knowledge societies in the country. The Ministry of Culture and Youth is committed to its implementation, in full coordination with the relevant federal and local authorities.
The Reading Month mirrors the eagerness of the United Arab Emirates' leadership, headed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rachid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The objective of the project is to foster a culture of science and knowledge, and to bring to fruition a series of cultural, intellectual, and cognitive projects launched by the state since its inception.
A key national goal of this initiative is to ensure that reading behavior reaches 50% of Emirati adults by 2026 and 80% of students, with an average of 20 books read by students per year on a voluntary basis. Another goal of this strategy is that the percentage of Emirati parents who read for their children should be no less than about 50%.
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: "Reading is intricately linked to the UAE's efforts both to shore up the knowledge economy as a platform to step into the future and to sustain the country's progress and the well-being of its people. Indeed, without reading, there is no way for the educated and innovative citizen to embrace the foundations of the knowledge economy, to drive the process of sustainable development, to consolidate the reading culture in society and to make initiatives to upgrade the level of knowledge and culture a top priority in the annual agenda of government and private bodies.
His Highness the President of the State has enacted the National Reading Law, the first of its kind in the world, with the aim of underpinning the development of human capital, contributing to the strengthening of mental and cognitive capacities, supporting national intellectual production and enhancing knowledge. societies in the country. The National Reading Law establishes binding frameworks for all government bodies in the educational, community, media and cultural sectors to further reinforce reading among all groups in society at all ages.
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.
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 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."
