H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council, accompanied by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Honorary President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group, on Tuesday morning visited the pavilion of Sharjah, represented by Sharjah Book Authority, at the 45th edition of the London Book Fair, organised in the Olympia Exhibition Hall in central London.

He went around the pavilion, which, in addition to the publications of Sharjah Book Authority, involved the participation of Al Qasimi Publications, the Department of Culture and Information, Kalimat Group, the UAE Board on Books for Young People, Knowledge without Borders and Translation Grant.

While at the pavilion, the Ruler of Sharjah met with a group of UAE and Arab authors, publishers and journalists, discussing with them an array of cultural issues and encouraging them to continue to work for the cause of Arab culture and promote it globally.

He also talked about his research experience, which led him to produce a variety of works, including scientific books, novels and plays, recounting the history of the Gulf region and beyond.

In the presence of Sheikh Dr. Sultan, a number of memoranda of understanding and cooperation were signed at the pavilion of Sharjah Book Authority, including with the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies; Publishers Weekly, the leading international news and reviews source for the bookselling and book publishing industry; and the British Library.

The Ruler of Sharjah then listened to a brief by Rashid Al Kous, General Manager of Knowledge without Borders, on "1001 Titles", a project which seeks to release 1001 Emirati books over the next two years in line with 2016 being declared the Year of Reading in the UAE.

Touring around the various halls of the London Book Fair, he visited the pavilions of the UAE Board on Books for Young People, Dubai Police Academy, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, as well as the pavilions of Oman’s Ministry of Information, Heritage and Culture and Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture. His Highness also visited a number of foreign pavilions involved in Arab and Islamic Culture.

Concluding his visit to the fair, the Ruler of Sharjah attended a lecture by Emirati author Mohammed Al Mur, which was co-hosted by the Sharjah Book Authority and London Book Fair at the Literary Translation Centre.

Source:WAM