The Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) is participating in the 26th edition of the Muscat International Book Fair (MIBF), displaying 254 titles from 27 Emirati publishers through its ‘Manassah’ platform. The book fair which began on 24 February, 2022, will conclude on 5 March, 2022.
The platform – a cultural project – is part of the association’s ongoing efforts to support new and upcoming local publishers enhance their regional visibility, and boost the UAE’s book publishing industry.
The international book fair saw a number of meetings between the association’s delegation and official representatives of various cultural entities in Oman. The EPA delegates met with Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, Oman’s Minister of Information, and Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in Oman, to explore the opportunities for cooperation between the EPA and the Omani authorities concerned with culture and publishing in Oman. They also discussed strategies to facilitate further participation in future editions of the international book fair in Muscat, as well as to utilize the EPA’s experience in establishing a publishers association in the Sultanate.
President of EPA Ali bin Hatem speaks about the MIBF as one of the cultural forums that the association is keen to participate in. “Our participation at the MIBF is part of our commitment to highlight some of the exceptional works published by Emirati and UAE-based publishing houses that showcases the creative landscape of the Emirates. MIBF is also a significant cultural event for the publishing sector in the Arab world that attracts a high footfall of visitors, regional publishers, and vital stakeholders in the publishing industry.”
“Through the ‘Manassah’ platform, the EPA intends to unite the efforts of publishers and support the UAE’s publishing industry by showcasing their books under a single umbrella. The platform also provides great opportunities for Emirati publishers to access key international book fairs to market their books on the global stage. The cultural project also helps to achieve the association’s vision in realising the experiences and projects of member publishers and supporting them with innovative solutions and initiatives to overcome the challenges of marketing, distribution, and shipping costs; and to create a robust cultural sector that supports our national economy and enriches the local and Arab cultural knowledge movement,” he adds.
