It’s not just trade and industry that the UAE is focused on. The country also looks after the intellectual needs of the residents, particularly where seeking knowledge goes.

As the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE, said, “A nation is defined by its cultural wealth, not by material wealth.”

Organising book fairs, be it in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or even literary events in Dubai has become second nature to the nation.

The praiseworthy growth of UAE’s annual book fairs and literary programmes as internationally known events reflects full compliance with the wise counsel given by the Founding Father of the UAE four decades ago, at the very first edition of Abu Dhabi’s book fair.

During his visit to the kids’ corner at the Islamic Book Fair at Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation on 3rd May 1981, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE, had called upon the nation to inculcate reading habit in children because “if they start to love books, it will last forever and help them expand their knowledge and culture.”

The success of Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival highlights this particular aspect of thirst for knowledge. It stokes the curiosity of the child and lays the foundation for a future generation which will cherish the reading habit always. Children of the future can stay glued to their favourite books, giving digital devices the go-by in this age of overarching technology.

Over 80,000 visitors graced the portals of the Expo Centre Sharjah where the event was held. Around 889 publishing houses were reported to be offering 500,000 books.

Where the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival goes, as many as 80,000 reading enthusiasts of all ages visited the 11-day  fest have connected with authors and publishers from 15 countries in a series of both live and virtual interactions. In strict adherence to the UAE’s precautionary measures against COVID-19, curtains came down on the 12th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The 11-day festival was held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA). The cultural extravaganza cemented its status as a grand celebration of the emirate’s steadfast commitment to promoting knowledge and reading amongst the young generations.

It was organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme, ‘For Your Imagination.’

At SCRF 2021, which ran from May 19-29, young readers experienced a diversity of literature and gained new perspectives with the participation of 32 Arab and international authors and 172 publishers from 15 countries. In addition, a host of educational artists and cultural experts led over 500 activities including 385 workshops for children and adolescents.

The festival gave children a wonderful chance to explore new worlds, play, learn, interact with their peers and their favourite authors, and develop their talents.

On her part, Khoula Al Mujaini, General Coordinator of SCRF, said: “The success of the 12th edition of SCRF was reflected in the happy and excited faces of the thousands of children who poured in to explore, engage and learn. In essence, this is the mission of SCRF. From technology and robotics, to art, cookery and writing workshops, in addition to theatrical shows, each of the 537 activities we presented to them ensured they learned new things and became more aware of our local and global cultures.”