Sheikh Mohamed, President of the UAE, has allocated a Dh6 million grant dedicated to purchasing books and educational materials from the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The purchased titles will be distributed to school libraries across the UAE to support the publishing and education sectors.
“This generous grant from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed offers a strong foundation to continue our efforts to keep the local and Arab publishing market globally competitive,” said Ali Bin Tamim, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the fair’s organising body and a division of the Department of Culture and Tourism ― Abu Dhabi.
“It will also play an effective role in advancing knowledge and culture in the UAE, providing students with a wide variety of books and reference materials from the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Through this, the next generation’s increased accessibility to content will inspire their enthusiasm for knowledge and learning, while enhancing their imagination, innovation and creativity.”
The 31st book fair brings together more than 1,100 publishers from about 80 countries, with more than 450 activities that span panel discussions, seminars, cultural evenings and children’s events. An educational programme has been curated for students of various ages with panel discussions and workshops, several sessions of which will be broadcast live to schools and universities across the Emirates.
Germany is the guest of honour of the fair, with a series of 40 events planned to highlight the UAE and Germany’s cultural ties, with German writers and thinkers taking part in workshops devoted to schools and children.
Cultural heavyweights attending this year’s fair include Syrian poet Adonis, who will be reading excerpts of his works on Tuesday, as well as Nobel Prize for Economics winner Guido Imbens, who held a talk on Monday about the role economists play in predicting future societal trends, and how they shape government and fiscal policies.
The fair is hosting art exhibitions, too, including a display by Japanese calligrapher Fouad Honda, which explores the intersections between Arab and Japanese cultures through Arabic calligraphy.
Entry to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is for those 16 years and older and is free with prior registration from the website. Vaccinated visitors are required to show a negative PCR test result on Al Hosn app taken within the past 30 days. Unvaccinated or exempt visitors are required to show a negative PCR test result on Al Hosn App received within 96 hours. Face masks must be worn at all times.
