Japan is the guest of honour at SIBF
sharjah — Japan will be the Guest of Honour at this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) that will run from October 31 to November 10, it was announced on Wednesday.
According to the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the selection “aligns with the SBA’s dedication to introducing Arab readers and intellectuals to the cultural gems of the far east”.
“Japan’s selection as the Guest of Honour at the 37th edition of the event celebrates its cultural achievements, with books playing a key role in building culture and fostering social ethics. Japan has a history of cultural achievements and a host of renowned intellectuals, authors and artists across its cultural scene, including cinema, music and literature.
“As befits its status, Japan nurtured the cultural sector with many titles - translated into Arabic - written by a host of critically acclaimed Japanese novelists such as Yukio Mishima, Kazuo Ishiguro, Nobel Prize Laureate and Haruki Murakami, among other creative writers,” said the SBA.
The design of Japanese pavilion at the SIBF will exemplify the country’s rich cultural features. Many events and workshops will be organised in celebration of its selection as the guest of honour at the fair.
The pavilion will also see an array of seminars, discussion panels and creative sessions conducted by a host of Japanese authors and artists.
Ahmed Al Ameri, chairperson of the SBA, said: “The selection represents not only an opportunity to explore Japanese creative experiences, but also offers a bridge for cross-cultural communication with Eastern Asia and its overall history, expertise and experience that fuel human development.”
The SBA chairperson said the SIBF is keen to introduce Arab readers to new cultures every year in line with the vision of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
Dr Akima Umezawa, ConsulGeneral of Japan in Dubai, said: “The Japanese pavilion will be a showcase of Japan’s diversified modern cultures such as literature, foods, nature, technologies to name a few.”
He expected that the fair would strengthen cultural ties between the UAE and Japan, “through sharing the wide range of peopleto-people exchange at the world’s third largest book fair”.
The selection represents not only an opportunity to explore Japanese creative experiences, but also offers a bridge for crosscultural communication with Eastern Asia and its overall history that fuel human development.”
Ahmed Al Ameri, chairperson, SBA