Open minds are the ones that read

Reading by seeing, feeling and enjoying the smell of books transports the reader to a wonderful world with imagination and creativity coming into play. In addition to helping improve concentration, memory, and communication, reading a good book can also be the best form of entertainment. It is to promote this power of books that Sharjah, the cultural capital of the UAE, has been striving for the past few decades. The emirate believes that knowledge is a basic right which should be easily accessible to all in order to create a progressive society and a catalyst for harmonious coexistence. A well-written book read, appreciated and exchanged in a linguistic and cultural setting is a binding factor that brings people together, while at the same time preserves their culture, knowledge and rights. The Sharjah Book Authority has thus been at the forefront with initiatives like the Sharjah International Book Fair, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, Knowledge without Borders, 1001 titles, the Mobile Library, the Knowledge Cart, the Neighbourhood Library, and the Digital Library to make books and reading part of the everyday life of not just its residents but also of those deprived of books around the world.

The title, World Book

Capital, conferred on the emirate by Unesco, is but a culmination of these efforts. The award seeks to encourage and promote publishing activities by nominating for a one-year period the best city programme for promoting books. The emirate’s innovative, comprehensive and inclusive policies seeking to promote peace and intercultural dialogue through education and information sharing have borne fruit. The award is a gold medal which the emirate will proudly showcase even as it continues on its path of embracing knowledge, literature and culture in various languages. Sharjah stands tall as its creative proposals endeavour to engage its large expatriate population, the book industry, the young and the old and the marginalised population with the aim of empowering the community, the nation and the region through literature. The emirate has rightly understood that open books mean open minds, which are crucial for peace and coexistence.

Sharjah believes that knowledge is a basic right which should be easily accessible to all in order to create a progressive society.