The cultural aspects of recent political and economic movement in the Arab region was the topic of discussion at the session called “The Culture of What is Coming” at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), taking place at the Expo Centre until November 14.A panel chaired by writer and critic Izzat Omar consisted of experts including writer and critic Dr. Mohammed Baradah, Emirati writer and researcher HE Majid Bushulaibi, Secretary General of the Islamic Forum, Sharjah and Sudanese journalist and novelist Hammour Ziyadah who looked at influence of politico-economic developments on culture.Dr. Baradah said that the region is at a crossroads with political and economic momentum and more realistic gaols should be obtained to unite the region as one cultural entity. He said, “It is important to understand that the cultural movement is the advanced language and cultural identity of Arabs and is not the Arab political movement. Development is a process that includes culture and social aspects of a country.”HE Bushlaibi said that the Arab region, and particularly the UAE, enjoys a geophysical location at the crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia and after the discovery of oil the economy boomed and gave way to a huge amount of intercultural exchange. “But economic progress without culture is like a body without a soul. The UAE government has been working to preserve the culture through many initiatives,” he said.
Ziyadah said, “A number of countries are working on the nationalization of culture but ignore the importance of local cultures from the region. It is a common phenomenon around the world that culture is branded by the state as a slogan and local and lesser known cultural aspects dissolve within it. Countries in the region need a paradigm shift and culture should be studied from a grassroots level.”Bushulaibi cited the efforts taken by the Sharjah government to advance culture with economic progress. He said, “His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah in 1979, addressing a crowd of young people during a theatrical performance, said it is time for a cultural revolution and three months later he issued a decree to establish a Culture and Information Department. Developments such as the Gulf Theatre Festival, SIBF, SCRF, translation support and many others are results of his vision for advancing the culture of the country. The UAE remains a great example for other Arab countries.”