Sharjah's Cultural Soft Power: Interview with Book Authority Chairman Ahmed Al Ameri

Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, has carved out an international identity through culture, notably via its art biennial and book fair. At the Bologna Children's Book Fair, where Sharjah was guest of honor, Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, discussed the emirate's cultural strategy. He credited Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, who fifty years ago began investing in culture and education. Sharjah was UNESCO World Book Capital in 2019 and now hosts major cultural institutions. The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), founded in 1982, reached its 40th edition and became the world's largest book fair, with 2 million visitors, 3,000 titles negotiated, and over 2,000 publishers in 2021. Al Ameri emphasized that Sharjah does not compete with Dubai and Abu Dhabi but complements them. The Book Authority supports translation with public funding, having translated over 800 titles from and into Arabic. To promote children's literature, Sharjah holds a Children's Reading Festival in May. The authority has trained numerous illustrators, 25 of whom attended the Bologna fair, including Asma Al-Hosani, Nasir Nasrallah, and Wafa Ibrahim. Workshops at Bologna included freehand drawing, paper cutting, and doll-making reflecting Emirati traditions.