At the Sharjah Expo Centre, the 39th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is under way until Saturday, November 14.
The fair has adopted a hybrid approach this year in response to the pandemic, meaning that while its cultural programme, including talks, is prerecorded and available online, publishers have still set up their stalls at the centre, as they do every year, stacking their publications on collapsible desks and lining them up on shelves. Overall, there are more than 1,000 publishers from across the world participating, to sell a whopping 80,000 titles.
This may seem unusual, maybe even defiant, given that most book fairs around the world have opted to go completely digital in response to the pandemic. But for the publishers, as well as for many of the fair's visitors, it is a welcome step towards normality.
“People don’t hesitate to visit shopping malls, and the crowds there are much larger, so why wouldn’t they come here?” Osama Makarem, a visitor at the fair, says. “Besides, they’ve implemented a number of safety measures.”
The Sharjah Book Authority has put a stringent registration system in place to prevent crowding. Guests will have to visit the fair website and select one of four three-hour time slots before they enter. Once inside the premises, they will be given a colour-coded bracelet to monitor the times of their entry and exit. Visitors will be notified by text message when their time is about to expire, but may be allowed to stay for the following time slot, space-permitting. All guests are required to wear a face mask at all times, there are thermal scanners at all entry and exit points, and the police and volunteers patrol the venue to make sure people follow the safety protocols.
The day I visit, guests are few and scattered. Although this detracts from the fair's usually bustling energy, it also means you can saunter from stall to stall at a relaxed, casual pace. Still, even with all these changes, there is something nostalgic about walking around the venue. The floor is covered in the same orange carpet. Grilled corn and fresh orange juice are still served from kiosks. And publishers are as warm and inviting as they are every year, showing off their latest books.
"It is a challenge," says Elias Moussallam, who works for the publishing house Librairie Stephan in Lebanon. "With everything going on, we expected fewer people to be present at the fair. So considering that, I'd say it's a success."
Mariam Abdullah Ali, who works for Khartoum University Press, says the Sudanese publishing company has been taking part in the fair for almost a decade. This year, she says, has been unlike any other.
“The pandemic has definitely had an impact on the turnout. But we’re expecting more people to come during the weekend. Still, we’re glad the fair was held this year. We knew we had to take part, despite the cost. It’s one of the main events in the regional publishing world.”
This year the fair has grouped the antiquarian booksellers at one large stall, whereas in previous years, each – namely Peter Harrington, Antiquariat Inlibris and Antiquariaat Forum – had a stall of their own, exhibiting their centuries-old copies of hand-inscribed Qurans and first editions of literary classics.
"It just made more sense that way," Ben Houston, a sales director at Peter Harrington says. The rare and collectible works on display, however, are as impressive as usual and have to be seen in person to be appreciated fully. There is a mini manuscript of Harry Potter handwritten by J K Rowling herself, an early 18th-century print of Shakespeare's major poetry, as well as first editions of Karl Marx's Das Kapital and Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
But perhaps the most captivating work at the stall is a large rectangular piece of linen painted coral pink and with a navy blue border. Golden patterns on the material are revealed under a certain angle of the overhead light. The Quran is inscribed in its entirety, in minute handwritten lettering on the fabric. The 19th-century work, made in northern India, honours the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
"It is hard to show these details through a photograph," Houston says. "Which is why, in my opinion, virtual book fairs pale in comparison to the real thing. For a while we weren't sure if the Sharjah International Book Fair was happening. But I'm happy they pushed through. It's the first physical fair we are taking part in since March."
More information is available at sibf.com
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
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.”
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
