The floor of the main hall at Expo Sharjah is set for an event at the 2024 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, huge depictions of monarch butterflies floating overhead. Image: SBA
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
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Al Mujaini: ‘Nurturing Society’
Following Sunday’s close of the 2024 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival and its Animation Conference, the Sharjah Book Authority has announced today (May 13) that the 12-day run of this specialized book fair drew 157,381 visitors and staged some 1,500 activities, an aggregate of more than 1,000 hours of programming.
During the course of the show’s events, not only did Sharjah’s Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi allocate 2.5 million dirhams (US$680,642) to buy books from publishers and booksellers at the fair for Sharjah’s libraries, as we’ve reported, but he also awarded honors to winners of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival Award and the Sharjah Children’s Book Illustration Award.
Kyoung mi Ahn of South Korea won the top award, with Mexico’s Juan Carlos Palomino in second place, and Daniela Stamatiadi of Greece in third place with her interesting imagery of a young man scaling mountainous hurdles and barriers to achieve self-actualization.
Al Ameri: ‘Inclusive, Sustainable Development’
At the 2024 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival. Image: SBA
The program reports that the exhibition floor featured 186 publishers from 20 international markets, all drawn to the United Arab Emirates’ third emirate for the fair with its emphasis on kids and families.
A total 265 speakers in literature and other arts were on-hand for a large part of the programming, representing 25 countries. The Book Authority, in fact, makes the point that the broad diversity of speakers making presentations and giving workshops helped encourage what it describes as “a diverse audience of various nationalities and age groups.”
Programming during the run also included 12 theatrical and “roaming performances” let by 19 presenters from 12 countries, and the cultural program itself brought together panel discussions on developing children’s communication skills, facilitated by 70 specialists from 25 countries.
Speaking for the Sharjah Book Authority, CEO Ahmed Al Ameri honors Sheikh Sultan and Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who “serve as our cultural compass, leading us toward continuing to pave the way for a youth-centered future, under the leadership of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Book Authority.
“Every child who smiled or learned something at the event, each story that was told, and each book children brought home, are a testament to the fundamental role Sharjah plays in nurturing young minds who will lead us into our future.
“It also reinforces our commitment to creating a knowledge-based society based on the pillars of culture and inclusive, sustainable development.”
Khoula Al Mujaini, who directs the annual fair as its general coordinator, says, “Each edition of the Children’s Reading Festival reaffirms our conviction that culture serves as a platform for our children to prepare for the future, where reading plays a pivotal role in unlocking their true potential.
“The Book Authority continues to reinforce Sharjah’s status as a thriving hub of knowledge and creativity.
“This festival is inspiring successive generations to become the architects of tomorrow, adding a new chapter to the emirate’s global cultural initiative, which continues to emphasize the critical role of reading in nurturing society.”
Greece is Next: Thessaloniki’s Guest of Honor
A rendering of the Guest of Honor Sharjah pavilion for the Thessaloniki Book Fair, May 16 to 19. Image: SBA
Later this week, the Sharjah Book Authority will be in Greece as the guest of honor market at the Thessaloniki International Book Fair.
Workshops, book signings, panel discussions, and more are being programmed in a presentation designed to emphasize philosophical connections between the two cultures.
Publishing Perspectives will have more on this year’s Thessaloniki show.
Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival general coordinator Khoula Al Mujaini joins a kids’ awards ceremony during the 15th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. Image: SBA
More from Publishing Perspectives about the Sharjah Booksellers Conference is here, more on the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is here, more on the Sharjah Animation Conference is here, more on Sharjah and its market is here, more on guest of honor programs is here, and more on Thessaloniki International Book Fair is here.