32 nd Edition HAMZAT WASSL. 2 SIBF Entices Leading 5 India pavilion. 100% increase Effective school libraries th November 2013

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1 HAMZAT WASSL 6-16 th November nd Edition Vol (12) 17 November 2013 Editorial: Afkar, Sana, Shazya and Moutovo Designed by: Abdullah Khalifa 2 SIBF Entices Leading 5 India pavilion % increase Effective school libraries Articles published in the (Hamzat Wassl) Express the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of SDCI You are invited to visit the official website of Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, member of supreme council and ruler of Sharjah

2 SIBF Entices Leading Publishing Houses with Amenities Having hosted many initiatives, events and fairs, Sharjah boasts an affluent cultural life and great intellectual activity. The name of the emirate, which has become a global cultural destination, is always linked to culture and knowledge, given the numerous talents it embraces - be it in the field of writing, theater, poetry and art. One of the events that set Sharjah apart from many other cultural destinations is Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which is a fount of knowledge and an attraction for writers and intellectuals from all over the world. Through SIBF, Sharjah aims to draw wellknown Arab and non-arab exhibitors, authors and publishers from around the globe. It seeks to know about other cultures and promote its cultural legacy, based on the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. SIBF, which is ranked the fourth largest book fair globally, helps strengthen the status of Sharjah and place it on the map of leading cultural capitals in the Arab world. It does this through supporting the emirate s objectives and ambitions and highlighting its cultural and scientific heritage, as well as hosting seminal events and activities. According to reliable sources, the fair provides all kinds of facilities for Arab and non-arab participating publishers. In addition to the exceptional amenities offered to publishers coming from politically challenged countries, the SIBF committee observes the shipping of the displayed books and facilitates the publishers entry to the UAE. Moreover, the fair s management protects the intellectual rights of publishers and authors to maintain the international status of SIBF and guarantee the yearly participation of all publishing houses. In this regard, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of SIBF, said: Since its inaugural edition, SIBF has undertaken to support cultural life, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. In all of its editions, SIBF has included a wide variety of cultural 2

3 activities and programs, which have been growing quantitatively and qualitatively on a yearly basis. Al Ameri described SIBF, as a place for exchanging knowledge and expertise and a wide platform for a large readership. For the purpose of disseminating the culture of reading among the society, SIBF was founded by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan has always sought to encourage reading and publishing in the Arab world. He has also aspired to establish a solid base for Arab cultural diversity, and to convey that diversity to the Western world. He pointed out that fans from all over the world wait for SIBF impatiently each year, stressing that the fair will continue its quest for the advancement of human culture, the consolidation of knowledge at both the Arab and global levels, and the embrace of cultures that contribute to the upgrading of Eastern and Western societies alike. Attracting World s Leading Publishers Al Ameri asserted that the SIBF management possesses a profound experience in dealing and communicating with publishing houses, not only at the local level, but also at the international level. Based on the reputation the fair has earned with its development, the SIBF management has built strong ties and it intends to carry on with this approach by focusing on contacting publishers all around the globe. Al Ameri added: SIBF is keen to be present at all major regional fairs, and to promote itself, its objectives, including the dissemination of culture and the initiation of knowledge based dialogue between people, and the opportunities it offers to publishers for the purpose of facilitating their access to the public. These moves have resulted in a steady increase in the number of countries and publishing houses joining the fair. SIBF Director indicated that the next edition of the fair would see the participation of major international companies whose presence in any exhibition is considered a huge success. He went on to say: Through expanding participation in SIBF, we aim to meet the need of the UAE and Arab society to gain access to all sources of knowledge and to come into contact with cultures of other societies. We also seek to meet the cultural requirements of the various communities living in the UAE. We believe that the wider the scope of participation, the better for the Arab culture and Arab authors, since the fair is a place for signing translation agreements. Pointing to the various events that are associated with SIBF, Al Ameri cited the Professional Program, which is held for the third year in a row to develop the expertise of Emirati and Arab publishers, in collaboration with internationally-known academic experts. 3

4 More than just a Book Fair As part of its outreach initiative, Sharjah International Book Fair brought 30 authors for 55 classroom visits to local universities and secondary schools, including 25 public educational institutions. Most of the writers and personalities participate in evening sessions and SIBF cleverly took advantage of their free daytime hours to bring them to engage with UAE students face-to-face, creating unforgettable memories for both the youth and the authors themselves. Shaikha AlSuwaidi, SIBF Community Outreach Officer responsible for coordinating the visits is passionate about the impact the initiative is making in her community, explaining: These great authors share their 4 knowledge with the students with stories about their life journeys, writing practices, and experiences with the publishing industry. Many of them come from other cultures and it s amazing to watch them learn about our customs while teaching the students something about where they come from. Something very special happens inside a student when she has the chance to ask her favorite author questions about writing, literature, and publishing. For years she will treasure this experience and as a result may gather the courage needed to pursue a career as a publisher, professor or even a writer divulging her innermost thoughts and ideas with the Arab world on the page. Highlights of this year s Outreach Initiative included American novelist Alice LaPlante (Turn of Mind, 2011) facilitating a special creative writing workshop with the women s writing club at American University of Sharjah. Ali Khan synthesized cricket and reading in presentations at two public schools. With his father and co-writer former ambassador Shaharyar M. Khan, Ali Khan recently released, The Cricket Cauldron: The Turbulent Politics of Sports in Pakistan. Participants also included Stephen Drake- Jones, Anjali Joseph, and Tahir Shah. Through the outreach initiative, Sharjah International Book fair aspires to inspire young people to develop an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, a true love of reading, and a lifelong love of writing.

5 India pavilion India pavilion at SIBF growing by leaps and bounds From consisting of only 5 stalls in 2008, the Indian pavilion has surpassed expectations by having more than 60 stalls in 2013 at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). Hosting an unprecedented number of visitors, Indian exhibitors were delighted with sales and customer response. Mohan Kumar, the External Affairs Executive at SIBF, said The sales have gone fantastic, nearly a 100% increase since last year. You can yourself feel the vibration as there are so many people here. With the feedback I have gotten, I can guarantee there will be almost 100 (Indian) exhibitors in He described in detail that the most common choices for books this year were mostly ones for children and young adults, and especially Malayalam books. The choice isn t as big as we want it to be, but people are finding their areas of interest here. The exhibitors know what the market interest is like after participating for so many years so they are able to get the exact books that customers want. Rajeev Chaudhry of National Book Trust, India, agreed and said they have been selling a lot of children s books, biographies of writers, Malayalam books and even books in Urdu. We are very proud of the response we have been getting. We are hoping to at least double the number next year. The National Book Trust sponsors and financially encourages Indian publishers to go internationally and promote Indian literature in book fairs and literary festivals. C.M. Dayanandan, Deputy Director of Capexil, also commented, There are a lot of NRI s who visit our stalls, especially Keralites. Every time they come here, all publishers bring the best and latest Malayalam books because there is such a demand for it. You can make out how busy the stalls are. With the planned book signings and interactions with best-selling and celebrity authors, there was also an increased demand for newly-launched books and ones written by the visiting writers. There were a lot of high-profile Indian authors and celebrities who attended this year s SIBF which included former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, actor Kamal Hassan, actors Farooq Shaikh, and writers like Deepti Naval, Ravinder Singh, Ruskin Bond, amongst others. 5

6 100% increase in Indian government-sponsored exhibitors India s book industry is booming, with India at the seventh rank in terms of number of books published and third in terms of the number of English language publications in the world, according to statistics available online. Business has never been better, and at the forefront is the Indian government which is actively trying to encourage and financially sponsor authors and publishers to exhibit in book fairs and literary festivals. It comes as no surprise then that government-sponsored Indian exhibitors at Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) have increased by 100% since last year. One such government body, National Book Trust (NBT), India, has made it their personal mission to inculcate Indian literature and promote reading habits, according to Kumar Samresh, Assistant Director at NBT. Having participated in SIBF for the last ten years, the NBT was founded by the first prime minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, and since then it has become the largest multi-lingual publishing house in the country, publishing books in over 30 languages. The institution gives grants to publishers, and subsidizes cost of books, and then helps them to go internationally to promote their books. This year, NBT has managed to sponsor 25 publishers from India to exhibit at the SIBF. Samresh added that they have a reciprocal relationship with SIBF where they are given rent free space in SIBF and in return they give SIBF and Arabic publishers space in the New Delhi World Book Fair. Another supporter of the Indian literary scene is the Book Division of Capexil, an organization set up by the Indian government, which sponsors publishers. We have been participating in SIBF for the last 3, 4 years, and every year we manage to increase our members participation. This year we were able to bring in 15 companies from India which is great. The mission of Capexil, according to a statement issued by them, is to act as a strong link towards promotion of the publishing and printing industry as a strong contributor in the world market. Best-selling author Ravinder Singh, was also seen to be tweeting about SIBF, saying that it reminded him a lot of the New Delhi book fair. The comparison is reasonable since a large percentage of visitors here are from the sub-continent, and all famous authors and celebrities have met with packed crowds in thousands. 6

7 UAEBBY organises a workshop to create effective school libraries In keeping with its goal to foster a culture of reading within the Emirates, the UAEBBY organised a workshop for librarians and elementary school Arabic teachers titled A story is the starting point. The workshop was organised as part of the Read, Dream, Create campaign that aims to encourage interaction between the young and books, and build their capacity in reading, writing, innovation and creativity through children s stories. The two-day workshop, which was held on the side lines of the Sharjah International Book Fair, aimed to instruct librarians and teachers on how instil a love for the Arabic language through children s books and literature. During the first day of the workshop, HE Humaid Mohammed Al Qutami, Minister of Education visited the workshop and was introduced to the its aims and the tools that is being used for improving the participants skills. The workshop was an opportunity for teachers and librarians to gain valuable experience and aimed to guide participants on how to identify specific goals when setting up a library. The workshop also explored effective methods to implement a range of strategies for book displays. In addition Rania Zaghir - trainer of the workshop - emphasised how important it is for librarians and educators to know the books that they are displaying in their libraries, in order to be able to guide young readers to choose suitable reading materials. She stressed the vital need for teachers and librarians to gain a true understanding of the various types of stories available and to stay up to date with the range of publications that exist. During the workshop, Rania also guided the participants through various exercises aimed at broadening their reading activity skill sets. Speaking about the workshop s aims, Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY Executive Board, said, In today s information driven world, creating a culture of reading is a vital undertaking in any society that wishes to continue to develop and progress. We are currently seeing a major surge in the creation of Arabic books for children and young adults and our goal with this workshop is to equip librarians and teacher to use these wonderful new titles to inspire a love for reading and the Arabic language among the younger generation. Rania Zaghir, commented, Let s expose our young readers to new and unique books which are very different from the usual traditional children ones, which for years have focused upon education without providing the right keys to decipher complicated codes of modern life. Let s select books with a smart, thoughtful language that links them to the present. Let s join efforts to make reading Arabic books FUN. A renowned author and founder of Al Khayyat Al Saghir, Rania Zaghir is wellknown for her innovative and unique writing style that is very different from the typical style found in traditional children s books, which often focuses on education without imagination. Ms Zaghir has won several national and international awards for her original and creative children s books. 7