Ahmed Al Ameri, second from left, president of Sharjah Book Authority, during the closing ceremony of the 35th Guadalajara International Book Fair, where Sharjah was announced the 2022 guest of honour. EPA
Ahmed Al Ameri, second from left, president of Sharjah Book Authority, during the closing ceremony of the 35th Guadalajara International Book Fair, where Sharjah was announced the 2022 guest of honour. EPA
Ahmed Al Ameri, second from left, president of Sharjah Book Authority, during the closing ceremony of the 35th Guadalajara International Book Fair, where Sharjah was announced the 2022 guest of honour. EPA
Ahmed Al Ameri, second from left, president of Sharjah Book Authority, during the closing ceremony of the 35th Guadalajara International Book Fair, where Sharjah was announced the 2022 guest of honour

Arts & Culture

Sharjah named guest of honour for 2022 Guadalajara International Book Fair

The Mexican book fair is one of the most significant cultural events in Latin America

Sophie Prideaux
Sophie Prideaux

December 09, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Sharjah will be the official guest of honour for the 36th Guadalajara International Book Fair in 2022.

The honour was awarded to the emirate in celebration of Emirati and Arab culture and its prominent authors, writers and intellectuals.

The title, which recognises Sharjah’s numerous cultural projects, will make it the first emirate to represent Emirati and Arab culture at a book fair in Mexico.

Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, received the title from Manuel Gerardo Talavera, ambassador of Peru, which was this year’s guest of honour, during a ceremony at the conclusion of the festival.

The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) is one of the most significant cultural events in Latin America and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors from across Mexico and the region each year. Sharjah has been a participant at the event for more than a decade and is the only representative of Arab culture in South America.

"Under the directives and guidance of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate has been leading cross-cultural communication with nations across the world, introducing the Arab culture and literature, and highlighting the distinguished Emirati works,” said Al Ameri. “Today, it is enough to say, 'We are from Sharjah,' as the emirate has become a synonym for books, literature and knowledge internationally.

“Participating in FIL 2022 as guest of honour is an opportunity to introduce Latin America to Emirati and Arab cultures, especially as there has been an overwhelming interest amongst Spanish-speaking visitors to know more about Arab literature and its prominent intellectuals."

As the 2022 guest of honour, Sharjah will present a vibrant cultural programme featuring seminars and discussions, showcase traditional Emirati art and craft, traditional shows presenting traditional Emirati song and dance, and highlight the Arabic culture through various art forms.

It will also hold talks with Mexican authors, publishers and intellectuals, and organise meetings with publishers from across Latin America to exchange expertise.

Raul Padilla Lopez, president of FIL, said: "With Sharjah’s presence as guest of honour at FIL 2022, we are looking forward to highlighting the rich Arabic culture and the valued diverse heritage of the region to our audiences here."

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Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri

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Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

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