São Paulo – The emirate of Sharjah is the guest of honor of the 25th São Paulo International Book Biennial, where it will present over 40 books translated from Arabic into Portuguese. The event opens on Friday (3) in São Paulo and will continue until August 12, including activities focusing on Arab culture and literature.
Sharjah was announced as the guest of honor in 2016. Since then, several meetings and contacts have taken place between the Brazilian Book Chamber, which organizes the event, and the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), which is overseeing the emirate’s presence in the Biennial.
Sharjah will have a special stand at the Biennial. In addition to the books in Portuguese that will be launched, there will be poetry reading sessions with Arab writers, discussions on the Arab publishing market, Arab music concerts, workshops of decorative masks and traditional UAE basket weaving, and the presentation of a project to encourage people in Sharjah to read (see full schedule for the Sharjah stand at the end of this story).
A press release quoted SBA president Ahmed Al Ameri as saying Brazil is one of the most vibrant literary hubs in Latin America. “Brazil has a numerous population of Arab descendants, and the presence of Sharjah in São Paulo will add even more momentum to the partnership between these two countries,” he said.
Besides the SBA, delegates from various cultural and academic institutions in the emirate will join the Biennial, including the Emirates Writers Union, Emirates Publishers Association, Department of Culture and Information – Sharjah, Sharjah Institute for Heritage, Dr. Sultan the Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies, Sharjah Media Corporation and UAE Board on Books for Young People.
Also due to attend from Sharjah are Knowledge without Borders, 1,001 Titles, Al Qasimi Publications, Kalimat Group, NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC), and the American University of Sharjah.
The 2016 edition of the São Paulo International Book Biennial (pictured at the beginning of this story) welcomed 684,000 visitors.
Quick facts
Sharjah at the 25th São Paulo International Book Biennial
August 3 to 12, 2018
G030 Stand – Avenida Olavo Fontoura, 1.209 – Santana – São Paulo/SP
Sharjah stand – Schedule:
(events featuring Arab specialists, authors and writers)
Friday, August 3
10am-11am – Poetry reading
11:15am -11:45am and 1:15pm-1:45pm – Música da Alma (Music from the Soul) – Arab music concert featuring lute player
12pm-1pm – Year of Zayed – symposium marking the centennial of Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the UAE
Saturday, August 4
10am-11am – Poetry reading
11am-12pm – The success of the UAE publishing market around the world – a panel on the possibility of developing shared publishing market ethics spanning several countries
12:30pm-1pm, 2:20pm-2:50pm and 4:15pm-4:45pm – Música da Alma (Music from the Soul) – Arab music concert featuring lute player
1:15pm-2:15pm – Current Prose Seminar – A discussion on the success of the novelistic genre
3pm-4pm – Folk tales – A panel and tale journey, focusing on the genre’s role and its societal impact in the UAE
Sunday, August 5
11am-12pm – Panel on translation and e-books
12:15pm-12:45 pm – Music from the Soul – Arab music concert featuring lute player
1pm-2pm – Literary session – A debate on the benefits of writing
2pm-3pm – “1001 Títulos” (1001 Titles) – Presentation of a project designed to encourage original content production by publishers in the UAE, and a comparison of the fiction book markets in Brazil and the UAE
4pm-6pm – Workshop on masks – A 2-hour workshop for children to learn about the UAE’s weaving traditions, with local artisans
6:15pm-7:15pm – “Imagine Livros” (Imagine Books) – A discussion of illustrations which transcend the language barrier and the role of illustrated books, especially in the lives of refugee children
Monday, August 6
10am-11am – Espelhos do Tempo (Mirrors of Time) – A session on the connection between literature and the cultural and historical heritage of civilizations
11:15am-11:45am / 1:30pm-2pm – 4:30-5pm – Música da Alma (Music from the Soul) – Arab music concert featuring lute player
12pm-1pm – Joint Publishing – A discussion on the connections between the publishing markets in Brazil and the UAE
3pm-4pm – Conhecimento sem Fronteiras (Knowledge Without Borders) – Presentation of a government project that saw books distributed to over 42,000 families in Sharjah
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
