Abu Dhabi – Gulf
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State “may God protect him”, General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, today inaugurated the 31st edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Center The Arabic language program of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center “ADNEC” until May 29, 2022, with the participation of more than 1,000 exhibitors from 80 countries.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Sarah Awad Issa Muslim, Minister of State for Early Education and Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Saud Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center, Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center, Director of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, and a group of intellectuals and lovers of books and literature.
During his tour of the exhibition, His Highness inspected a number of pavilions and local, Arab and international publishing houses participating in the exhibition, most notably the exhibition of the pavilion of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is the guest of honor at the exhibition for the second time in a row. His Highness was also briefed on the most important literary, knowledge, cultural and intellectual works that contribute to the advancement of the publishing and literature sector and enrich the global cultural scene.
It should be noted that a large part of the program accompanying the exhibition was devoted to highlighting German literary and intellectual works, through an important group of dialogue sessions in which the most prominent German writers, intellectuals and thinkers participate, to introduce German culture and its pioneers, and the most important literary, cultural and artistic publications are presented in the pavilion A special shared by the most important publishers in Germany.
In his speech during the opening, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “Exhibitions through the ages have formed a bridge to transmit the civilization and history of peoples. They are the witness and narrator of the achievements of creators in a world that is constantly changing, and we are keen, under the guidance of our wise leadership, to support these creators. By creating renewable opportunities to involve them in the local cultural scene to ensure the continuity of their creativity and transmission through generations.And we are inspired by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi from the ideas of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, “may God rest his soul” in preserving our Arabic language and promoting the creative industries sector In its various fields, we are working through the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to consolidate the position of our capital as a global cultural center paralleling its well-known global economic importance, as we were able to combine its Arab identity with openness to the cultures of other peoples.
For his part, Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, said: “For three decades, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has embodied the ray that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, wanted to be a starting point and a fundamental pillar in the march of The societal and civil construction that the state is witnessing, as the book is the incubator of thought, awareness, creativity, and culture as an important daily practice for the renaissance and progress of societies. His Excellency stressed that “the event’s attraction of such a large number of publishers, intellectuals and creators from all over the world reflects the great confidence these creators place in the exhibition and indicates its position on the map of Arab and international cultural work.”
Throughout the days of its activities, the public will witness a diversity in the exhibition’s agenda, which includes multiple corners, including the main platform and the youth platform, in addition to the business lobby, lifestyle corner and art corner, which offer a wide range of dialogue sessions, seminars, and literary, cultural and intellectual evenings that host a selection of The brightest names in the world of thought and literature.
This year, the fair is also organizing a wide range of educational events and specialized activities for children presented by a group of academics and specialists, in addition to the cultural program for the guest of honor, where Germany will celebrate, within its pavilion, the creativity of a group of thinkers and creators, with the participation of regarding 80 publishers, intellectuals and creatives, and more than 40 cultural sessions And a diverse professional, accompanied by a selection of German films inspired by books, and the local and Arab audience will learn regarding the creations of the poet, playwright and novelist Johann Goethe, along with a visual, cognitive and creative account of a long history of German intellectual, linguistic and literary creativity.
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is a leading regional and international platform and a distinguished cultural event that annually brings together the poles of the publishing industry in the Middle East and North Africa region, and provides promising opportunities for forming new partnerships, and being informed of the latest trends and developments in the publishing sector in the world. The exhibition also represents a cultural platform that is the most prominent and most attractive for visitors who are passionate regarding books, as the number of visitors annually reaches more than 150 thousand visitors, and more than a thousand exhibitors, from around the world, to promote the culture of reading and encourage creativity and writing in various fields.
This year’s edition is marked by the launch of a new initiative dedicated to highlighting a pivotal figure who has greatly influenced the fields of culture, thought, knowledge, creativity, and others. Where the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair chose the “Dean of Arabic Literature, Dr. Taha Hussein” as a pivotal figure for its thirty-first session, under the title “Taha Hussein.. The book is insight”, by allocating a pavilion for the central figure and organizing seminars that serve as an intellectual forum for navigating the worlds of Taha Hussein’s literature. Standing at his work analysis, reading and criticism.
