Sharjah has been selected as Guest of Honour at this year’s São Paulo International Book Fair.
In collaboration with the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the emirate will put together a programme of seminars and other events by 20 Emirati authors and publishers for the book fair, which takes place between August 3-12.
Forty Emirati books, which have been translated into Portuguese, Brazil’s official language, will also be promoted.
At a press conference held in São Paulo, chairman of the SBA, Ahmed Al Ameri, expressed his hopes that the Sharjah Pavilion would help to convey to the Brazilian people the UAE's love of — and passion for — literature, as well as its diverse culture, from fashion to cuisine and traditional crafts.
“Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate will continue to be a window not only into UAE’s culture but also to the overall Arab and Islamic community,” Al Ameri said.
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“His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah has always underlined that knowledge, books and science are the fundamental foundations to establish a state of global understanding and tolerance.
“Choosing Sharjah as the Guest of Honour at São Paulo Book Fair 2018 is yet another achievement that confirms the emirate’s growing stature in a worldwide cultural arena and comes after Sharjah was celebrated as the Special Guest City of Honour at the 38th edition of Paris Book Fair and named by New Delhi as Guest of Honour for its 2019 book fair.”
Luiz Antonio Torelli, President of the Brazilian Book Chamber, said: “Having Sharjah as the first Guest of Honour at the São Paulo International Book Fair is a great opportunity to present the richness of its wonderful, diverse culture to the visitors, not just from Brazil, but from across the whole of South America and beyond. I am sure this will be just the beginning of bringing our cultures and book markets closer.”
With this in mind, Al Ameri invited Brazilian authors, publishers and academics to visit the Sharjah Pavilion in August to discuss how they can work more closely with the emirate.
"Sharjah Publishing City will enable them to broaden their horizons in the Middle East and East Asia, by leveraging its status as the first free zone for publishing in the world," he said.
