On the occasion of Emirates Publishers Association (EPA)’s tenth anniversary celebrations held at Sharjah Publishing City (SPC), Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publisher’s Association, Founder and President of EPA, highlighted how Emirati publishers are playing a key role in the development of the Arab World’s publishing industry, and providing key momentum to the UAE’s cultural progress. She also emphasised that EPA has experienced significant achievements in a short span of time.
Bodour Al Qasimi noted: “The Association started with 13 member publishers, and today, the number has increased more than tenfold to 138. This spectacular growth is attributed to EPA’s leading vision and relentless efforts to support Emirati publishers regionally and globally. She noted that EPA’s keenness to increase the visibility of its membership at key regional and international book fairs has enabled many other Emirati publishers to have their voices heard, and given them an opportunity to contribute to the development of industry-related strategies, regulations and decision-making.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi shed light on recent milestones, notably the ‘One Stop Shop’ integrated information and services centre established at EPA last month to facilitate and streamline publishing activities. Simultaneously, EPA launched the ‘Manassah’ showcasing platform to increase the visibility of local publishers at important book events at home and around the world, to boost their market outreach and successfully present their titles to a wider audience.
EPA has sponsored the participation of more than 76 Emirati publishers at international book fairs, and with the advent of Manassah, the Association predicts a surge in the numbers. Bodour Al Qasimi added, “Today, we begin a new chapter in our journey to enrich the local publishing landscape. We need integrated efforts to strengthen the legal framework for publishers, and encourage investments in this vital sector. Readers around the world today are eager to read books with diverse and multicultural content, and we need to make the most of this opportunity by intensifying our efforts to share our culture with the world and compete on the global level.”
Sheikha Bodour concluded her speech by thanking all EPA partners for their continued support and the management and executive teams for their dedication to successfully address the many challenges they faced. Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director, EPA, asserted that in line with the directions of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, the Association will continue to support its members and boost the Emirati publishing sector by offering local publishers an opportunity to be exposed to international book markets.
He noted that the publishing industry in the UAE is witnessing remarkable growth, which has been offered an impetus by the UAE’s emerging cultural renaissance where literature and books are gaining more traction from both official entities and the community and the nation is becoming more adept at formulating comprehensive copyright and intellectual property. He commended the efforts of aspiring Emirati publishers to develop their skills and experiences and contribute to elevating the UAE’s cultural sector.
Along with Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Rashid Al Kous and other EPA officials, the event was attended by HE Hessa Essa Bu Humaid, Minister of Community Development; and Sheikh Salem Khalid Al Qassimi, Assistant Under-Secretary of Knowledge Development at MCKD, HE HE Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), and Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Culture Department.
The ceremony highlighted EPA’s key achievements over the past ten years. They have signed eight memorandum of understandings (MoU) with different cultural entities in the UAE, including Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development (MCKD), National Media Council (NMC), Emirates Intellectual Property Association, Emirates Writers Union, and the ‘1001’ Titles initiative by Knowledge without Borders (KwB).
Through such supportive initiatives by the EPA and other literary entities in the UAE, the local publishing industry has seen tremendous growth between 2009 and 2019, with the production of over 15,789 Emirati titles. Other strategic achievements for EPA through the ten years is its inclusion in the International Publishers Association ( IPA), and in the Arab Publishers Association, in addition to its participation in 254 Local and International book fairs.
At the end of the ceremony, EPA honoured its partners, namely, Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, Ministry of Community Development, Sharjah Book Authority, Sharjah Publishing City, Tilal Properties and ‘Knowledge Without Borders’ initiative. Established in 2009, Emirates Publishes Association (EPA) was set up to serve and develop the UAE’s publishing and book industry, in line with the efforts to support the active cultural movement in Sharjah and the UAE. Since its inception, EPA has been playing a key role in encouraging the cultural and intellectual output of the country. It has supported the publishing industry by providing its members with various services and training programmes to develop their skills and capabilities.
