Sharjah to bookend 2019-20 with pop up libraries, poetry nights, workshops

At the opening of the Shajrah International Book Fair in 2015. - KT file photo

As Sharjah has recently been announced as the 'World Book Capital' for 2019 by UNESCO, authorities are coming together to arrange an array of cultural and entertainment events directed towards the community's different segments.
The emirate will see more than 30 festivals, workshops, conferences, author book signings and meetings from April 2019 to April 2020 to celebrate and promote the culture of reading, and provide people with easier access to books.
Marwa Al Aqroubi, president of the UAE board on books for young people (UAEBBY), said the one-year agenda will feature cultural and entertainment events that will address diverse expat communities including Arabs, Asians, Filipinos and Europeans, in addition to the people of determination categories.
"Authors from around the world will be invited for book signings and meetings with their audiences. Events and book distributions will tackle different communities with its different cultures," Al Aqroubi told Khaleej Times.
So Filipino residents can expect to receive books in their language, while Bollywood lovers can expect outdoor cinema adaptations and screenings in the heart of Sharjah or in the Sharjah Art Foundation held alongside author discussions of the work adapted and book signings, he said.
"Combining art with books and literature is our aim to encourage people to read and experience different works," said Al Aqroubi.
Youth-related events
Young book fanatics can expect plenty of poetry nights and competitions and workshops in different languages.
Al Aqroubi said more than five kinds of workshops and poetry competitions will target the youth. And for the first time ever, a pop culture festival will feature everything from film, TV, science fiction, animation, manga, comics and collectibles.
Visitors will have the chance to connect with artists, filmmakers and fellow geeks, while budding artists will have the chance to make the most of workshops offered, learning directly from industry professionals related to animation, game development, acting, voice acting, VFX make-up, storyboarding and scriptwriting.
Al Aqroubi noted that the emirate, which already has seven public libraries, will also see a number of beach and park libraries, as well as the mobile "United Nations Books on Wheel," which will tour across Sharjah's congested areas and enable residents to pick up books of various languages.
An e-reader app will also be available during 2019-2020, featuring thousands of books available to Sharjah residents. The World Book Capital app will display the agenda to enable residents to stay updated with workshops, sessions and events buzzing across the town.
The emirate has been known for its cultural experience. Its trademark International Book Fair (SIBF) has brough together millions of book titles and tens of thousands of visitors, exhibitors and publishers under its umbrella.
In 1998, the emirate was named as Capital of Arab Culture and in 2014, it was titled the Capital of Islamic Culture. The emirate is the first in the GCC and third in the Arab world and Middle East, to have been titled the World Book Capital.
Al Aqroubi said the committee had to submit documents while applying for UNESCO's title of its cultural and educational activities. "Being selected among different cities around the world to receive this title is a big achievement through which we look forward to endorse the love of reading among people," said Al Aqroubi.
The honour is recognition of the emirate's role in supporting and expanding the local and regional publishing industries, promoting reading to become an intrinsic cultural practice, as well as embracing intercultural, knowledge-based dialogue.
Since 2001, UNESCO has been selecting a World Book Capital every year on the grounds of certain criteria, where the title is awarded to the city that shows continued excellence in charting a cultural programme of activities throughout the year.
The criteria included the breadth and impact of cultural programmes, and quality of events tailored by countries to promote books and reading.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

Sherouk Zakaria

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com