Nearly 1.227 million visitors came to the 34th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair which came to an end yesterday.During the opening ceremony on Nov 4, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah gave a generous donation of AED 4 million to purchase books from the publishing houses participating in the 34th Sharjah International Book Fair as a contribution towards the support of book publishing and investment in human intellectual development. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority and Director of the Sharjah International Book Fair said: “The fair speaks on behalf of not only Sharjah but on behalf of the UAE, Arabs and Islam. It is a message from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah to the entire world in the light of the continuous endeavor to enrich the communication between the various cultures of the world. The fair aims to promote interest in reading and making it a habit for every member of the family so that they may develop their skills, understand their past to live the present and prepare for the future.”
Initiative to Globally Promote Emirati Writers
A memorandum of cooperation between the Sharjah Book Authority and the Emirates Writers Union was signed on the sidelines of the 34th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair. The memorandum aims at promoting Emirati writers globally and spreading Emirati culture around the world.Al Ameri said that the authority is keen to invite a number of Emirati writer to join them during their international participations in Book fairs, festivals and conferences. This will allow the public to know more about them and will allow them the chance to communicate with their counterparts from around the world, he said adding that this would lead to sharing experiences and increasing their skills.Al Ameri added that the authority will also work on publishing a booklet about the Emirati Writers Union that would be distributed in the various activities that they take part in to foster relationships between them and writers from outside the UAE. The booklet will also bolster the communication between the authority and its counterparts from all over the world.He said that he hopes that this memorandum will increase the popularity of Emirati writers in order to boost the distribution and reach of their works and that it would encourage international publishers to translate their works into different languages.
1547 Publishers from 64 Countries
The 34th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair witnessed the participation of 1547 publishing house who came from 64 countries. They number of titles on display were 1.5 million, making it the largest number of book titles to be showcased in the fair since its establishment.The publishing houses included 890 from the UAE and Arab world and 433 from outside the Arab world and the books showcased were in 210 languages over an area of 16000 square meters at the Sharjah Expo.
Literary and Media Experts from Around the World
The book fair hosted a number of intellectual, artistic, academic and cultural personalities from around the world who were part of the fair’s cultural program and other activities. These included Egyptian actor Mohammed Sobhy, Egyptian diplomat and political writer Dr. Mostafa Al Faqi, Irish writer Darren Shan, BBC and Sky TV presenter and writer John McCarthy, Nigerian writer and poet Ben Okri, Pakistani writer and poet Fatma Bhutto, Indian actor Mohanlal, writer and critic K. Sachidanandan and Indian social worker Sudha Murthy.
1000 Cultural Activities
The cultural program of the Sharjah International Book Fair was packed with seminars, panel discussions and cultural evenings which witnessed the participation of writers and intellectuals from all around the world.Three events were held daily at the cultural café ranging from book readings and discussing literary, artistic, historical, media and religious issues as well as matters of translation, children’s literature, Arabic language and self-development. More than 1000 events took place during the fair out of which 33 were in the cultural café. The fair witnessed the participation of nearly 50 speaker from the UAE both Emirati and Arab.
1.227 Million Visitors
The number of visitors to the Sharjah International Book Fair exceeded 1.227 million visitors from the UAE and abroad. This had an impact on the tourism and commercial sectors in Sharjah since the number of regional flights to the UAE increased during the fair as well as hotel occupancies. Individuals and governmental bodies and libraries from the region also shipped the books they bought which led to an increase of activity in the shipping sector.The fair witnessed a large number of visitors from the various schools in the UAE. The amount of sales in the UAE exceeded AED 135 million (US$ 37 million) which is an indicator of the visitors’ interest in the offerings of the fair.
Children’s Fun Activities
Activities from the children’s corner in Dubai included roaming shows, musical plays, entertaining and educational shows, theatrical productions and interactive activities that suited every age group.For the first time, a special area (150 square meters) was dedicated for comic books in collaboration with ComicCave, the biggest distributor of comic books in the UAE. The area included 26 exhibitors who showcased comic magazines, toys, gifts, comic figures and held several workshops for children and adults.
Active Social Media Corner
For the fourth consecutive year, the social media section was successful in attracting visitors to the talks and meetings that it hosted. A variety of topics were discussed by the social media specialists who actively engaged with the public. In addition, the social media section held a number of live interviews with media pioneers and for the first time included an interactive screen that allows visitors to take selfies and get them printed on famous international magazine covers.
Culinary Stars at the Cookery Corner
The cookery corner at the fair hosted a number of culinary experts from around the world who came to share their recipes and their passion for food with the visitors. Attendees at the cookery corner got the chance to learn about ethnic dishes and witnessed a step-by-step demonstration of how to prepare them.
SIBF/ALA Conference
The second joint conference of the American Library Association with the Sharjah International Book Fair was held on November 11 and 12. The conference discussed a variety of topics that pertain to libraries such as cataloguing and how technology can be utilized and several discussions and case studies regarding the transformation of libraries into digital libraries. During the conference, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) announced the implementation of the Sharjah Libraries Digital Repository Project, which will be the next generation of digital libraries. As the first of its kind in the Arab world, the project will provide scientific and intellectual content on the Internet with no limitations or obstacles and without prejudice to the intellectual proprietary rights of its respective authors.
Awards and Recognition
During the opening ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Sultan honored winners of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2015 awards and awarded Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Adviser to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Governor of Makkah Province the award for the Cultural Personality of the 34th edition of SIBF.