Al Ain Book Fair kicks off with a cultural programme for everyone

An exciting programme of cultural activities and discussions is taking place over the coming week at Al Ain Book Fair. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the fair runs until Thursday, October 3, 2019. A series of youth workshops and musical shows have been organised in collaboration with Al Qattara Arts Centre, Al Ain.

“Al Ain Book Fair is an ideal platform to celebrate our Emirati writers, authors, creators and intellectuals, as well as discussing pressing topics in the cultural sphere,” said Abdullah Majid Al Ali, acting executive director of the Dar Al Kutub Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi in a statement.

“We continuously work to raise awareness of the exhibition and its importance locally, and present it as an integrated cultural festival, not just a venue to sell books. This is a reflection of our commitment at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi to revive a reading culture and position books as a fundamental element to a solid cultural upbringing."

Who is participating and what will they discuss?

Some of the authors participating include Emirati poet Shaikha Al Mutairi, and Emirati academic and poet Talal Al Junaibi, who will participate in a panel titled Nabati and Fasih Poetry: A Glimpse into the Future.

One panel discussion with Muna Al Sahili of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature in the United Arab Emirates University will explore the role of female narrators in the UAE Another session titled Making our History into a Novel – Al Ain as a Model and hosted by poet Sheikha Al Jaberi and Emirati novelist Ali Al Humairi will discuss how cultural traditions in the UAE can be documented. Badeeah Al Hashemi will talk about the challenges facing the education sector in the technological age in Child-Rearing Challenges and their Impact on the Future.

Al Ain Book Fair runs until Thursday, October 3 and is open from 9am until1pm and from 5pm until 9pm. On Friday, it will open from 5pm until 10pm. Entrance is free and open to the public, www.adbookfair.com

Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.

"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."

Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.

"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.

As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.