UAE residents brave 2-hour traffic, take leave from work to attend SIBF 2024

Spanish expat Grace, who lives in Dubai Marina, spent two hours on Wednesday afternoon to get to the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on its opening day. "Since I moved to the UAE six years ago, I have attended the book fair every year," she said. "This year, I wanted to come on the first day because a very famous Spanish journalist and writer is speaking today. He is an institution in our country. It is worth sitting in the traffic for two hours to hear him speak."

The 43rd edition of SIBF kicked off Wednesday, bringing together more than 2,500 publishers from 112 countries. One of the most keenly awaited events for bibliophiles is this year's book fair, which has Morocco as its guest of honour. The event was inaugurated by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who highlighted the efforts to promote the Arabic language and warmly welcomed the international audience.

Grace attended the fair with her 4-year-old son, Diego. She loved the variety of materials available at the fair. "I have a keen interest in Arabic, and my son attends an Arabic school," she said. "I get very useful study materials from here, which I wouldn't usually find in bookstores elsewhere. Moreover, you have publishers and books from all over the world. Over the years, I have picked up some unique books from here."

Taking time off work

For some visitors, the fair means serious business. Dubai resident Abdulla Hassan has taken almost ten days of leave from work to attend SIBF daily. "My wife and I have both published books this year, and we plan to attend the entire 11 days of the fair," he said. Last year, I came after work and would get stuck in traffic daily. So this year, I decided to take time off and focus on the book fair."

For him and his wife, Sajna, SIBF is also a time to renew their friendships. "We are part of a huge literary community, and almost all our friends are publishing books," said Sajna.

"Even those who are not publishing a book come every day and we all just hang out here. We attend book launches, buy books and support each other. SIBF is one of the most awaited events every year. It is 11 days of pure literature fun. We get to meet and hear from so many revered writers and literary figures every year."

Packed halls

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