The eagerly anticipated Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), raised its curtains on its 37th edition on October 31 at Expo Centre, Sharjah. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the 11-day cultural feast has promised to bring more than 20 million books featuring 1.6 million titles, including 80,000 new titles and 1,874 publishing houses from 77 countries around the world – all under its vibrant roof.
An international platform where readers, publishers, authors and intellectuals will hold the banner, ‘the power of culture is far stronger than the culture of power’, SIBF will see more than 470 authors, poets and artists in attendance, 200 book-signing ceremonies by authors from 19 countries and 1,800 cultural and entertainment activities taking place.
Since the inaugural SIBF in 1982, the festival has built on its accomplishments and achievements to become the third largest book fair in the world today. This is the result of the organisers’ strong will and resolute determination to achieve only the very best.
The SIBF has a history of enhancing cultural mobility and accumulation. It is a global cultural festival celebrated by millions of people from around the world that sees many aspiring writers on their way to achieving great success, and local and international publishing houses being established.
“Back in 1982, the first edition of SIBF started with six publishers. Thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, whose focus on the cultural future of the emirate have led Sharjah to its several accomplishments and collaborations with other entities. SIBF is a reflection of our succeeding efforts, which stands today as the region’s largest and the world’s third largest book fair,” said Al Ameri.
In the past few years, the SIBF surpassed expectations, becoming an exceptional cultural and intellectual phenomenon in the region, Al Ameri stressed. “As far as the number of visitors are concerned, we can refer to last year’s record-breaker, which witnessed a 2.38 million footfall. A direct consequence was seen on the book fair’s overall sales figures, which spiked 17 percent since 2016 to reach a staggering number of USD 56,083,417 million (AED 206 million),” Al Ameri noted.
SIBF 2018 promises to be another page-turner and will surely keep its audience on the edge of their seats. While visitors can once again look forward to a spectacular festival with a world-class collection of books on display, be in company of celebrated authors and savour a diversity of rich cultural events.
