The 37th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) kickstarted on Wednesday with a message of peace for all humanity and a celebration of culture.
This edition will be hosting more than 20 million books from 1.6 million titles, 80,000 of which are new titles, and 1,874 publishing houses from 77 countries. It will curate 1,800 events and feature 472 guests from around the world with 200 book signing ceremonies for authors from 19 countries.
Themed “Tale of Letters,” the fair is curated by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and it will be held from Oct.31 to Nov.10 at Sharjah Expo Center.
Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated SIBF during an opening ceremony at the Expo Center.
The inauguration was attended by a number of sheikhs, ministers and dignitariess as well as a large number of publishers, intellectuals and media representatives.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Shaikh Sultan said he had called for a movement of cultural development in 1979, which will be marking 40 years of success next year.
He also honored Azzeldine Mihoubi, Algeria’s Minister of Culture, as the SIBF Personality of the Year; Japan as the Guest of Honor and winners of various awards in publishing and literature.
The awards included the Dh1.3 million Tarjuman (Translation) prize, in its second edition, which was given to a French publisher for translating an Arabic book called Features of Tyranny into French.
Dr. Shaikh Sultan also launched his new book, available in Arabic and English, titled "Bibi Fatima and the King’s Sons".
Sharjah is the World Book Capital 2019
It was also announced during the ceremony that Sharjah is the World Book Capital 2019. It will celebrate the achievement in various ways between December 2019 and April 2020. More details will be announced at a later stage, an announcer said during the ceremony.
Ahmad Al Amiri, chairman of SBA, said during the opening ceremony that SIBF and Sharjah are platforms to spread culture and knowledge through words written by so many diverse people. He added that all people are one and share the same planet.
A wide array of international authors, intellectuals, bloggers and YouTubers will also be attending the event, including award-winning British author Emma Gannon and physicist Dr Leonard Mlodinow from the US.
The Social Media Station at SIBF has curated many activities for lovers of creative arts and modern technology, starting with animated photos, to media campaigns and ending with the methodology of content creation at social media platforms.
The Children’s Program offers young visitors several engaging events, theatrical performances, shows and workshops, such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and the "King of Lions", which is inspired by Disney’s "The Lion King".
The Cookery Corner Program has curated 60 events with 16 guests from 11 countries, such as France, India, Australia and others.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
