Sharjah:The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is the third largest book fair in the world. It is an annual event and the largest of its kind in the UAE. In 2020, amidst the strike of the COVID-19 pandemic, the book fair is to happen in the month of November.
The SIBF 2020 is the 39th edition since its debut in 1982. It was inaugurated by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi. It is an event which is recognised as one of the world’s top publishing events. The event is one of the main cultural attractions in the UAE. SIBF is committed to promoting the love of the written word and remains committed towards attracting authors and publishers alongside their best work to the region. The 38th SIBF event was attended by more than 2 million people.
The decision to run this year’s book fair was after the announcement of the dates of the world’s largest book fair, Frankfurt Book Fair. The 39th SIBF will start on the 4th of November and continue for 11 days till 14th of November. It will be held at Sharjah Expo Centre. The registrations were for exhibitors were closed in September. The exhibition space of 14,625 sq.km. were sold old out. The event is hosted by the Sharjah Book Authority.
This year, the pandemic poses many challenges for the event. Sharjah Book Authority chairman Ahmed Al Ameri said “We are committed to employing the highest international health and safety standards on the exhibition site, and will have detailed preventative protocols in place to ensure the safety of participants and visitors during the book fair.” The organizers are providing the highest international health and safety standards on the exhibition sites. They informed that there would be preventive protocols in the place so that the safety of participants and visitors are ensured.
Al Ameri had earlier said that there is immense support from strong industries even in the challenging times which help them host an exceptional edition this year to continue benefiting both the reader as well as local, regional and global publishing markets. Al Ameri further said that this year, the fair will shine a strong spotlight on ways publishers can collaborate to successfully navigate the challenges posed to their businesses, complete projects stalled due to Covid-19, and continue operating profitably in the fast-changing market landscape.
The event will also be a platform that provides several awards for literary talents both at the regional and global levels. The main agendas are to honor local creativity, support regional growth of literature and strengthen cultural bridges with the world. These include the Best Emirati Book, Best Arabic Novel, Best Creative Emirati Book (Travel), Best Emirati Book in the field of studies, Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award and Best International Book Awards for Fiction and Non-fiction. The Sharjah Book Authority have dedicated over AED 2 million for this purpose.
This literary event in the Arab world will be a blend of cross cultural bonding during the times of the pandemic. Many stages and events as part of SIBF will this year also be conducted online indoors with safety precautions.
