After 7 days full of knowledge, art and fun
Abu Dhabi Book Festival bids farewell to its largest edition with "Endless Stories"
The exhibition organized 2000 cultural, literary, knowledge and artistic events distributed among different locations. Cinematographer: Najeeb Mohammed
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After seven days full of knowledge, culture and fun, the 32nd edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the largest edition in its history, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ADALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), concluded yesterday at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
In a gesture that embodies the place of culture in the thought of the leadership and its strategic vision to build a knowledge society, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, directed the allocation of AED 10 million to purchase books and references from the Abu Dhabi Book Fair to be distributed to UAE schools to support the school library and encourage students to read, increasing the value of support from six million dirhams during the last session of the exhibition to AED 10 million this year, and witnessed the 32nd session of the exhibition, which was organized under the title "Endless Stories" More than 1300,85 exhibitors from more than 500 countries presented more than 2000,<> titles, and organized <>,<> cultural, literary, knowledge and artistic events distributed among different locations within the UAE capital such as the Cultural Foundation, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi, the Logos Hope, the largest floating book fair, and others.
With Turkey and Ibn Khaldoun
Turkey was the guest of honor at the current edition of the exhibition, as it enriched its program with a wide range of events organized in a special pavilion.
The exhibition celebrated the achievements of the Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun, the founder of sociology, as the "central figure" of this edition through his own pavilion.
The exhibition chose the concept of "sustainability" as a central idea for its 32nd session, in line with the UAE's declaration of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability, and ahead of hosting the activities of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) next November, as it dedicated seminars and dialogue sessions on activating sustainability in its comprehensive concept in various fields such as climate and food security, and discussing ways to enhance youth awareness of achieving sustainable development. The sessions also discussed two important themes for the cultural sector, namely sustainability in the publishing industry, and the role of museums in promoting the concept of sustainability among the public. In addition to hosting artists and specialists known for presenting sustainable works, including international artist Felix Semper, who specializes in the use of paper and environmentally friendly materials, and his paper sculptures in rubber forms, and Emirati engineer Salem Al Kaabi, who exhibited modern works of art within the Bio Art.
Future generations
The exhibition introduced a number of events, including the "Podcast from Abu Dhabi" platform, with the aim of giving the public the opportunity to get to know the stars of podcasters in the Arab world up close, and watch their recordings of their episodes live.
It also introduced the "Alpha Corner", which provided interactive activities to introduce the fields of space and science, with the aim of enhancing interest in science and culture among future generations and developing their creative skills. He also launched the Hogwarts – Harry Potter Celebration experience, which allowed fans of the Harry Potter film series to explore the aesthetic meanings of iconic landmarks in the iconic film series.
Publishing Grant
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ADALC) at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced the opening of registration for the 'Spotlight on Rights' grant in conjunction with the 32nd edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The Center is offering a "Spotlight on Rights" grant to publishers participating in the exhibition who wish to purchase translation rights or convert books into electronic and audio formats, in support of efforts to translate content from and into Arabic, and convert paper books to digital. The initiative also seeks to strengthen cooperation between Arab and international publishers, and to promote Arabic content available through various media.
Since its launch in 2009, the grant has contributed to the publication of more than 1035,2022 books in multiple categories. In 122, Abu Dhabi Book Festival received applications from 12 publishing houses from 135 countries, with <> grants awarded.
Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and Director of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, said: "The Spotlight on Rights grant is one of the initiatives of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to develop the publishing industry in the region and devote respect for intellectual property rights in the Arab world, as the UAE is a pioneer in enacting and implementing legislation that protects these rights."
"Since the launch of the program, it has played a key role in exchanging rights, encouraging translation and enriching Arabic content, in addition to keeping pace with the rapid technical development witnessed by the publishing sector," he added.
A qualitative initiative
Abu Dhabi Book Festival 20232 witnessed the launch of several initiatives, most notably the announcement of the establishment of the Arabic Language Youth Council, the culmination of the partnership between the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center and the Arab Youth Center, in cooperation with the "Bil Arabi" initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Knowledge Foundation and the "Zai" Center for Arabic Language Research at Zayed University, with the aim of enriching the youth movement in the field of the Arabic language, linking it to the reality and needs of generations, and contributing to enabling them to develop and adapt to its developments.
Saeed Al Tunaiji:
"Since the launch of the scholarship program, it has played a key role in exchanging rights, encouraging translation and enriching Arabic content."