At the recently concluded 27th International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL) in Morocco’s capital Rabat, the pavilion of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) witnessed a remarkable turnout from academics, the educated elite, and the general public for the books I Condemn and The Inquisition authored by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Visitors to the pavilion lauded Sheikh Al Qasimi’s effort in documenting historical events on the Arab presence in Andalusia, the southernmost autonomous community in peninsular Spain.
On his visit to the SBA pavilion, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid was presented a copy of The Inquisition by Fadel Hussein Bussaim, Director of SBA in the Eastern region and head of Sharjah’s delegation to the book fair. A copy of Sheikh Al Qasimi’s book The History of Al Ya’ariba in Oman was also presented by Bussaim to Oman’s Ambassador to Morocco Dr. Said Mohammed Al Bar’ami.
“Since cultural events witness a huge turnout of global visitors, they bolster efforts to nurture Arab and Emirati culture. The participation of SBA in the Rabat book fair is a reinforcement of our bilateral relations and a celebration of our creative expertise,” says Bussaim.
“SBA continues to strengthen its regional and global involvement in accordance with the vision of HH Sheikh Al Qasimi while our participation in this year’s book fair was to emphasize the role played by Morocco in the literary scene. The aim is to strengthen bilateral relations within the framework of SBA’s programmes and cultural movement in the Maghreb region, starting off with Algeria, now Morocco, and extending to Tunisia in the coming days,” elaborates Bussaim.
A literary symposium titled ‘Contemporary Arab Horizons’ hosted Emirati writer and poet and President of the Emirates Writers Union Sultan Al-Amimi along with Moroccan writer and translator Mohamed Ait Hanna, where the luminaries discussed several topics including critique and contemporary thoughts on Arab literature.
Al-Amimi says, “Sharjah’s active presence in Arab and international book fairs constitutes an influential cultural platform for Emirati and Arab writers, creating an environment for exchanging ideas with peers and a chance to give publicity to their literary works before a global audience.”
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