House of Wisdom showcases rare titles at Guadalajara Book Fair
As part of the Sharjah’s pavilion in FIL, the HOW displays nine titles from the precious collection of German Professor Richard Etinghausen, a prominent Islamic arts researcher
Sharjah’s iconic House of Wisdom (HOW) joined the emirate’s delegation participating as a Guest of Honour in the 36th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) 2022 in Mexico, which takes place from 26 November till 4 December. Through this most prominent annual cultural event in Mexico and the largest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world, the cultural hub of Sharjah seeks to showcase its experience, mission and objectives and how they contribute to the emirate’s vision and cultural project.
As part of the Sharjah’s pavilion in FIL, the HOW displays nine titles from the precious collection of German Professor Richard Etinghausen, a prominent Islamic arts researcher. The titles on display are part of a rare collection of 12,000 books donated to the HOW by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. This huge collection covers a wide variety of topics on Islamic arts and architecture in more than 10 languages, including Arabic, English, German, Japanese, Urdu and Russian.
The displayed titles include: “Moorish Cabinet
from Toledo: A Descriptive Note,” by Emilio Camps Cazola; “Excavations of the National Plan in Medinat Alzahra (Córdoba)” by Rafael Castejon and Martenez De Arizala; “Arab Ivories of the West” by Jose Ferrandis; “The Godman Collection of Oriental and Spanish Potery and Glass” by Fredrick Du Cane Godman; and “Spanish Arab Art Up to Almohad’s Era: Mozarabic Art” by Manuel Gomez-moreno.
The other titles on display are: “Silk Textiles of Spain, Eighth-fiteenth Century” by Florence Lewis May; “Bayad and Riyad Love Story: An Oriental Chantefable in Persian Style” by A.R. Nykl; “Hispano-moresque Minarets” by Spanish writer and archaeologist Leopoldo Torres Balbas; and “Hispano-moresque Ware of the XV. Century” by Albert Can De Put.
In an effort to consolidate cultural relations and artistic cooperation with Mexican institutions, the HOW, in cooperation with the UAE Board on Books for Young People, intends to launch the 2nd edition of the “Folktales Reimagined” initiative with Mexico. Ater the first initiative received widespread acclaim at the Bologna
Children’s Book Fair and the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2022, the second one is set to bring together artists from UAE and Mexico to unleash their creative prowess in redesigning popular characters from each other’s folkloric heritage.
Currently, the HOW is hosting the “Frida and Me” exhibition to introduce the UAE public to Mexico’s most influential artist, Frida Kahlo, through a series of playful and interactive experiences. Running from 8 October till 8 January 2023, the first-time-ever-in-arabic exhibition features workshops that enable children to discover oneself, dive into the world of arts and unleash their imagination and creativity.
EMIRATI FILMMAKER: The challenges facing the UAE and Mexican cinema industry and the impact of technology and digital plaforms like Neflix were under the spotlight during a panel discussion organised by a Sharjah delegation who are the Guest of Honour, at the ongoing 36th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair. The discussion brought together Emirati filmmaker and author Nasser Al Dhahiri and his Mexican counterpart Samuel Kishi.
During the session titled ‘Keeping up with the Current Cinematic Situation in the UAE and Mexico’ and moderated by author Estrella Araiza, Al Dhahiri discussed his journey of making his debut film, ‘A Tale of Water, Palm Trees and Family’. He said the idea began with a question about the roots of the UAE and its population, noting that he went on a lengthy process accompanied by filmmakers from the Netherlands to find the origins of Emiratis that date back thousands of years.
According to Al Dhahiri, there was a close relationship between travellers who passed through the UAE bearing water and palm trees, which he documented through pictures and stories passed down through the generations.
On challenges facing UAE cinema, he said these issues are similar to those faced worldwide when it comes to independent cinema, which is essentially lacking proper funding. He noted that 90 per cent of films shown in the UAE are American, while the rest are divided between Arabic titles and other films in English.