More than Forty Authors to Celebrate Sharjah as Special Guest City at Paris Book Fair 2018

The Emirate of Sharjah is set to engage with tens of thousands of young and old book lovers from France all over the world, at the 38th edition of the Paris International Book Fair (Salon Livre Paris) taking place from March 16-19.

Being a world-class and bespoke symbol for Arabic culture and literature in the Middle East, Sharjah will be celebrating its selection as the Special Guest City of the fair this year. The emirate of Sharjah, under the supervision of Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with cultural institutions and heritage entities, will organise a series of sessions, seminars, performances and folklore event that communicate an authentic and meaningful understanding on the rich cultures and heritage of the UAE and the Arab region.

The UAE delegation to the fair will comprise over 150 Arab and Emirati authors, intellectuals, journalists and media personnel, who will demonstrate the region’s unique cultural and literary charms to the western world through a colourful programme, which includes a public exhibition of artworks by some of the most prominent Emirati artists.

During its participation in one of Europe’s major book events, Sharjah will demonstrate its creative and diversified literatures and arts on the streets of Paris, with performances that will provide an inspiring and educational journey into the UAE and its cultures, through a mix of music, traditional costumes, folk songs, poetry and traditional crafts. One of the programme highlights will be book signings by forty renowned authors, whose prominent works has been translated to French.

Leading cultural entities will be represented at the Sharjah pavilion. These will include the Emirates Writers Union, Emirates Publishers Association, National Media Council, Sharjah’s Department of Culture, Sharjah Institute for Heritage, Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies, Sharjah Media Corporation, UAE Board on Books for Young People, Sharjah Libraries, Knowledge Without Borders, the 1001 Titles initiative, Al Qasimi Publications, Kalimat Group, and Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature.

The Paris Book Fair 2018 is expected to draw more than 150,000 visitors, bringing together over 3,000 authors, intellectuals and academics from around the world, as well as 30,000 professionals in the publishing industry. Guests at the fair will take part in hundreds of cultural events, which include panel discussions, seminars, book signings, workshops, professional meetings and open meetings for the public.

HE Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, said: “The Paris Book Fair is considered one of the most important literature events that Sharjah takes part in. Our participation is in line with the directives and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah, to strengthen the presence of the UAE and greater region in forums that promote a more transparent understanding of other cultures and enables educational communication with  them.”

Al Ameri underlined that the selection of Sharjah as Special Guest City reflects the emirate’s historical commitment to participate across all exhibitions and events that enable the opportunity for the emirate to promote the cultures and values of the Arab region.

He added: “This is an opportunity for us to boost cooperation with various French institutions and capitalise on bilateral cultural bonds that help promote dialogue between Sharjah and Paris. Sharjah is one of the key destinations favoured by French authors and scholars seeking to gain a glimpse into the Arabic cultural experience, understanding the backstory of its formation, literature, heritage and history.”

Day one

Sharjah’s cultural and intellectual programme on the first day of the fair features a concerto titled ‘Zayed’s Dream’ that will be performed by Emirati Oud player Faisal Al Sari. It will also feature a symposium titled ‘Zayed: The Benevolent’ that will comprise Emirati writer HE Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library, and Jack Lang, President of the Arab World Institute and former French Minister of Culture, and will be moderated by Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Director General of Abu Dhabi Media.

The first day of the fair will also include poetry readings under the title ‘Nectar of Words’ by Emirati poet Habib Al Sayegh, Chairman of the Emirates Writers Union and Secretary General of Arab Writers Union, as well as poet Kholoud Al Mualla, and will be moderated by poet Ali Al Shaali.

A panel discussion titled ‘The significance of Partnerships with Local Publishers and their Role in in approaching a wider audience as well as promoting business opportunities’ will see the participation of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group, and Edwige Basque from Gallimard Publishing, and will be moderated by Olivia Snigi.

Other events will also include a seminar titled ‘French Books in the Gulf Region’ presented Renata Sader, and a symposium ‘Writing for Children in the Arab World’ by Dubai Belhoul and Fatima Sharafuddin.

The programme will continue with two seminars, the first is titled ‘The Eternal Impact’, comprising Dr. Hamad bin Sarrai, Dr. Saeed Hamdan, Dr. Wajeeh Fanous and Frederick Siriaz, and moderated by Iman Ben Chaibah, Founder and Director of Sail Publishing. The second seminar is titled ‘The Role of the Publishing Society’, conducted by Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), and Iman Ben Chaibah.

Day two

On the fair’s second day, the programme will begin with a concerto titled ‘Music for the Soul’ by musician Faisal Al Sarai, who performs music revelations from the aesthetic human heritage. Four Emirati poets will present their works at a poetry reading titled ‘Brilliance of Letters’, with Dr. Mansour Al Shamsi, Samir Darwish, Hussein Darwish, and Maram Al Masri and will be moderated by Yousuf Abu Loz.

A seminar titled ‘Informative Follow Ups’ will bring together leading Emirati and French media personnel, who will address the role of contemporary media in stimulating people and changing public opinion.

Visitors will also be treated to a seminar titled ‘The Story and Beyond’ by Ibrahim Mubarak, Nasser Al Dhahiri and Mohsen Suleiman, and moderated by Lulwa Al Mansouri, followed by another symposium titled ‘Think Visually’ by Luwick Ghom and Waleed Taher, and moderated by Aliyaa Al Shamsi.

Day two’s proceedings will also see a workshop ‘The Sky of Abstraction’, conducted by Abdul Rahim Salem.

The second day will conclude with two events; the first is a poetry reading by poet Salem bin Jomhour, Al Hanouf Mohammed, Dhain Shaheen, Francis Combe and moderated by Talal Salem, while the second is a cultural seminar titled ‘Cultural Initiatives from Sharjah’, featuring Noura bin Hadiya, Majd Al Shehhi and Aisha Al Naqbi.

Day three

On the third day of the fair, visitors to Sharjah’s pavilion at the event will be treated to a music concert performed by Faisal Al Sari Musician titled ‘Music of the Soul’, while Alia Al Shamsi and Geraldine Alebeo, will speak at a panel titled ‘Silent Books’, addressing the efforts of the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and the French Board on Books for Young People (FBBY).

A seminar titled ‘The Novel Today’ will feature Ali Abu Al Rish, Sultan Al Omaimi and Hareb Al Dhaheri, Mark Wiltz and will be moderated by Mohsen Sulaiman, while Mohammed Bin Dakhin and Aisha Sultan will speak at a symposium titled ‘The Main Features of the Publishing Industry in the UAE’.

Poetry will be treated all throughout Sharjah’s participation in the fair. The third day will include a poetry reading titled ‘Spectrum of Fantasy’ by Dr. Shihab Ghanem, Saeed Siqllawi, Saliha Ghabish and Jean-Luc Dubax, and moderated by Shaikha Al Mutairi.

Poets Ibrahim Bu Hindi, Shaikha Al Mutairi, Yousef Abu Louz and Victor Blun will recite poems during an evening titled ‘Marvel of Meanings’, which is moderated by Al Hanouf Mohammed.

Day four

The fourth and final day of the event will begin with a seminar titled ‘A Famous Book’ with Dr. Saeed Al Badi, Ali Al Humairi, Eman Yousuf and Khaled Omar bin Qaqah, and will be moderated by Asmaa Al Zarouni, followed by a poetry evening titled ‘Poetic Outlooks’ by Ali Al Shaali, Talal Salem and Dr. Aysha Al Busmait and moderated by Al Hunoof Mohammed.

Faisal Al Sarai will perform his music, followed by a workshop titled ‘The Eloquence of Colours’ by artist Salem Al Junaibi. A seminar titled ‘A Variant Theatre’ will see the participation of Dr. Habib Gholoum, Saleh Karama and Dr Abdulilah Abdul Qader and will be moderated by Mohsen Sulaiman.

Fatima Sharafeddine will sign off the French edition of her book ‘Adel's Coloured Birds’, and after a seminar titled ‘Women and Literature’ involving authors Asmaa Al Zarouni, Basema Younis and Lulwa Al Mansouri, and moderated by Shaikha Al Mutairi.

Outdoor shows

In celebration of its selection as a Special Guest City at the Paris Book Fair, Sharjah will be organising performances by traditional Emirati bands in the mornings and evenings from March 13-17, which will take place in front of Montmartre Cathedral on 13 March, at the Champ-de-Mars Park behind the Eiffel Tower on 14 March, at the Opera House on 16 March, and finally, at the Arab World Institute’s yard on 17 March.

In March 2017, former French President François Hollande announced Sharjah as Special Guest City at Paris Book Fair 2018, a move that reflects the emirate’s high-profile cultural stature on the global stage. It also comes in recognition of the outstanding achievements and milestones made by Sharjah, as well as of its efforts in promoting Arab culture, whether in France or in the rest of the world.