São Paulo – The emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, will be the guest of honor of the 25th São Paulo International Book Biennial in the city of São Paulo in 2018. The announcement was made last week at the Frankfurt Book Fair with the presence of sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, a member of the UAE’s Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, which is one of the seven emirates of the Arab country, and of the president of the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) Luis Antonio Torelli, according to information from the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
According to the news agency, the choice reflects Sharjah’s status as a cultural leader of the Arab world and a hub for the launch of initiatives, events and awards. According to WAM, the emirate is internationally known as a meeting point for humanitarian and cultural discussions, a place that encourages the debate between different philosophies through ideas, books, arts and music. In Frankfurt, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) held a banquet in honor of the emirate’s ruler, inviting intellectuals, writers and journalists.
According to information provided by CBL, talks between Sharjah and Brazil to develop closer ties between their editorial markets began last year at the London Book Fair. According to the Brazilian Book Chamber, with its large population of Arab immigrants, near 12 million, Brazil is considered by Emirates Publisher Association (EPA) one of the main targets of the UAE in the editorial sector, behind Argentina and Mexico.
“After so many years it is very important for the Brazilian Book Chamber to foster and strengthen international relationships at the São Paulo International Book Fair. This recovery, so special to us, would have to be with a guest of honor who could reawaken the passion, fascination and excitement in our publishers and Brazilian readers. We have found all of those elements in the Emirate of Sharjah, one of the most important cultural hubs in the Middle East and across the Arab world,” said Torelli in a CBL statement.
The agreement for the special participation of Sharjah in the São Paulo book fair was made official by EPA and CBL in Frankfurt. The nomination as guest of honor for the São Paulo International Book Biennial is usually a tribute paid to a region. In 2008, the fair honored Japan, Portugal and Spain, but some editions had no guests. The initiative of nominating a guest will be resumed in 2018. CBL is the organizer of the São Paulo International Book Biennial.
EPA participated in this year’s Book Biennial, which took place at the end of August and early days of September, and brought a delegation of publishers. During the fair, the group met with CBL’s president and children’s books publishers, visited bookstores and libraries and attended the 6th International Congress of the Digital Book CBL. The Brazilian Book Chamber was invited and will visit the Sharjah International Book Fair, scheduled for November 2 to 12 of this year. The fair will gather 902 international and 645 Arab publishers. In all, 64 countries will be represented at the event.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
