SHARJAH: The 39th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), organized by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) will be held from November 4–14 under the theme ‘The World Reads from Sharjah’ under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The event’s theme underlines that the quest to obtain knowledge is never-ending, and that books will always bring us together, no matter the circumstances.
SBA’s new ‘Sharjah Reads’ global virtual platform that will host all future cultural events organized by the authority, starting with the 64 activities of SIBF 2020, was launched at the press conference. Over 80,000 titles are brought to Sharjah’s Expo Centre by 1,024 publishers from 73 nations who will display their best sellers across an area spanning over 10,000 square meters. The line-up of publishers includes 578 Arab publishers and 129 international names, featuring 202 from Egypt and 186 from the UAE, 93 from Lebanon, 72 from Syria, 46 from KSA, 39 from the UK, 29 from the USA, 13 from Italy, 12 from France, and 8 from Canada.
Strict precautionary measures to ensure the safety of both participants and visitors to the fair will be observed throughout the 11-day duration of SIBF 2020, enforced by SBA in line with the UAE government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Thermal scanners and walk-through sanitization gates will be installed at all SIBF 2020 access and exit points and 5-hour disinfection across the fair’s halls and publisher stalls will be carried out. Visitors are to follow the safety protocol laid out by SBA, including wearing of face masks and maintaining a physical distance from other visitors and publishers at the kiosks. Along with volunteers and security personnel, smart electronic system has been deployed by SBA to manage and organize visits, divided into four slots each day to limit the number of visitors at any point in time. All visitors to the fair will need to book their visitation slots by registering online at sharjahreads.ae. Upon arriving at Sharjah Expo Centre following their booked slots, a coloured bracelet to monitor the timings of their entry and exit will be provided.
SIBF 2020 brings together 60 intellectuals, artists and cultural figures from 19 countries. Luminaries from the region include Wasini al-A’raj, Algerian writer; Egyptian author and screenwriter of fiction and non-fiction, Ahmed Mourad; Kuwaiti writer Mishel Hamad; Iraqi writer, poet academic and translator, Muhsin Al-Ramli; and Lebanese theatre director, writer, producer, and educator, Lina Khoury. International appearances at SIBF 2020 include American poet and spoken word artist, Prince Ea; Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman and author; Lang Leav, best-selling author from New Zealand; Ian Rankin, bestselling writer from the UK; Lebanese-Canadian author Najwa Zebian; Neil Pasricha, Canadian author and television host; popular Italian children’s books author, Elisabetta Dami; Indian authors Ravinder Singh and Dr. Shashi Tharoor; and British writer Richard Ovenden, among others.
For the first time in SIBF’s history, SBA has tied up with embassies of various countries in the UAE to design eight intellectual discussions, which will be led by Emirati writers and their counterparts from Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia, to name a few. The sessions were conceptualized over several meetings and planned visits between SBA and many cultural institutions worldwide. SBA is also collaborating with the UAE’s Ministry of Education to host virtual meetings between students and their favorite authors and cultural figures.
The 10th edition of the SIBF Publishers Conference will welcome 317 publishers and 33 speakers from across the world, who will discuss key issues and challenges facing the global publishing industry in 11 in-person and virtual sessions from November 1 to 3.
Members of the American Library Association (ALA) will meet their counterparts from the Arab world virtually for the 7th annual edition of the Sharjah International Library Conference, from November 10 to 12. Themed ‘Challenges faced by librarians and libraries during the New Normal’, 300 librarians and library professionals along with 12 speakers, for 3 hours on each day of the event will take part.
SBA will not hold the opening ceremony for SIBF 2020 this year, taking into account the current circumstances. It also postpones the distribution of the SIBF Awards to the next edition.
Brig. General Dr. Ahmed Saeed Al Naour, Director-General of Central Operations, Sharjah Police said that the Sharjah Police has prepared an integrated security plan for both the regulation of traffic and on-site security procedures, which will be led by our special task force, patrolling and media departments. On behalf of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Salem Al Gaithi, Manager of Sharjah TV, said that live coverage of activities, panels, and meetings with guests will be reported on Sharjah TV, Al Sharqiya Channel of Kalba, Al Wousta Channel of Al Dhaid, Sharjah Radio and Pulse 95 Radio.
