More than a book fair – a meeting of minds
Published on: Sunday, September 15, 2019
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All are guests of the Sharjah Royal family through the Sharjah Book Authority and come to participate or witness a celebration of thoughts and works in a carnival-like atmosphere that stretches up to 11 days. The Daily Express has been on this privileged list for several years now.
During this period, writers and publishers take the opportunity to launch their latest works, have book signings, hold interviews as well as network with representatives form the publishing disapora.
Some of the famous names that have graced this event in the past have been authors Jeffrey Archer and John McCarthy, Nigerian novelist Ben Okri to politicians like Shashi Tahroor to Bollywood stars like Shilpa Shetty and social media influencers like Lilly Singh.
All this would not have been possible had it not been for the vision of the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council. Back in 1979, His Highness already felt the need to make books an important part of Arab youths.
At the most recent event last year, the Sharjah International Book Festival attracted some 1,700 exhibitors from 60 countries interspersed with 2,600 cultural, entertainment and artistic events. The attendance was an all-time high of 2.2 million.
Compare this with the overall population of the UAE which is 9.2m, of which only 1.4m are emiratis while the rest 7.8m are foreigners.
That this is happening at a time when technology has been undermining the power of the printed word globally was noteworthy.
His Highness, himself, has apart from being a strong advocate of reading, also published some of his own works. The latest being an autobiography called “Sultan Of Letters”.
“We believe that books must be available to all and from this concept we turn book fairs into an oasis of knowledge and enlightenment,” he said when launching the event.
He said Sharjah had achieved the objectives of the cultural movement that he started nearly 40 years ago, when the emirate decided to focus on culture rather than start constructing concrete buildings from its new-found oil riches.
In a fitting tribute, Unesco named Sharjah the World Book Capital for 2019 for fostering a culture of reading not just in the emirate but the whole UAE. Unesco has awarded the title every year to a city in recognition of its achievements in promoting books and reading. It also coincided with the launch of Sharjah Publishing City, a vast complex in the desert dedicated to everything involved in publishing and printing. – James Sarda
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