The Sharjah Book Authority, SBA, has unveiled the details of the 7th edition of Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, SCRF-2015, which is aimed at instilling and fostering a love of reading among children and young people, enhance their knowledge and develop their cognitive abilities.
The festival, taking place from April 22nd to May 2nd at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme, 'Discover My City', will feature 2,028 cultural, educational, entertaining, art and health events, with the participation of 109 publishing houses from 15 countries.
For the first time, an exhibition on dinosaurs, the largest of its kind in the UAE, will be organised in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom. The exhibition will feature models and information about dinosaurs presented scientifically to attract both children and adults.
The details were announced yesterday at a press conference held by the Organising Committee of the festival at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, said, "The Sharjah Children's Reading Festival 2015 is in line with the vision of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and comes with the directives and close follow-up of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.
"In the UAE, the child comes first, and this is the focus of Sharjah's care and attention. We want to provide the child with everything needed to help develop their talents and knowledge, because the child is the cornerstone of cultural development for the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE at large."
Al Ameri pointed out that the festival seeks to implement the vision of the Ruler of Sharjah, who always recommends that the child is nurtured with science, culture and knowledge, to ensure the creation of a conscious and educated generation for the future benefit of the UAE.
The UAE will top the list of participating countries with 40 publishing houses, followed by Lebanon with 25 and Egypt with 17 publishing houses, alongside Australia, Canada, and India, among many others.
Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO Advisor and General Manager, Northern Emirates, Etisalat, said, "The festival enhances the cultural and creative identity of Sharjah, and brings together intellects, thinkers, artists, illustrators and writers who meet for one great purpose, to enrich the cultural identity of our children. Children of today are our future leaders of tomorrow and it is our duty to support these initiatives for the progress and prosperity of the Emirate of Sharjah."
Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Director-General of Sharjah Media Corporation, said, "Everyday, Sharjah proves that it is an incubator of culture and creativity, and this festival plays an important role in achieving that. Sharjah TV and Radio will be joining this event and producing programmes, one will be a one hour live event broadcasting from the festival location."
Hind Abdullah Lenaid, General Coordinator of Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, said, "For the first time, the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival will organise a car carnival, called The Parade, in collaboration with the Sharjah Educational Zone. The Parade will see school cars and buses decorated with illustrations about Sharjah's landmarks and monuments. The busses and vehicles will take a daily tour of Al Majaz Waterfront for three days. Valuable cash prizes will be presented to the winning schools in the first three places."
The fourth edition of the Sharjah Exhibition for Children Book's Illustrations will be held on the sidelines of the reading festival with the participation of 385 artworks created by 134 illustrators from 31 Arab and foreign countries. The winners of the Sharjah Exhibition for Children Book's Illustrations will be announced during the opening ceremony of the Sharjah Children's Reading festival. The awards are valued at Dh77,000. The winners of the Sharjah Children's Book Awards and the Books for the Visually Impaired children, totalling Dh60,000, and the Sharjah Prize for Library Literature, Dh30,000, will also be announced.
Source: WAM