Abu Dhabi: Italy is Abu Dhabi International Book Fair’s (ADIBF) guest of honour this year and this relationship will be celebrated through an integrated programme of cultural and professional events and activities for children.
The Italian pavilion at the book fair consists of a selection of books from popular Italian authors as well as a section by Angelica Library in Rome showcasing Arabic manuscripts from the 14th century.
Antimo Cesaro, Italy’s Deputy Minister for Culture Heritage and Tourism, visited the fair and engaged with the public at the Italian pavilion.
Cesaro spoke to Gulf News on the significance of the book fair and plans to further encourage an exchange of cultures between Italy and the UAE through tourism and other events.
“My presence here is a tribute to Abu Dhabi having chosen Italy as the guest of honour at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2016. Our appreciation [for having been chosen for this honour] goes beyond mere formalities,” Cesaro said.
“From this book fair, we hope there will be cooperation between Italian and UAE publishers so many Italian authors’ works can be translated here and, at the same time, we would like the Emirati culture to be more known in Italy.”
Cesaro said he has been meeting local authorities to provide more momentum to this collaboration. Some of the projects include setting up exhibitions, building an Italian school and an Italian institute for culture as well as working on archaeological projects, he said.
“What I was most impressed with was the strategic vision of the authorities in terms of investment in tourism and culture for the medium- and long-term as a sign of economic diversification and putting more money into the tourism and culture sectors. This is the vision shared by the Italian government.”
Cesaro said while there is already a great tourism relationship between the two countries, with about 30,000 Emiratis visiting Italy and around 300,000 Italians visiting the UAE, there was room for improvement.
He referred to Italy’s Emperor Fredrick the Second who wrote a treaty about falconry centuries ago, as an example of the deep connections that exist between the two cultures.
“History offers a clear sign and evidence of falconry [being] a cross-point of the two cultures — Western and Arabic,” said Cesaro.
“At a time of geopolitical turbulence, [such] bonding between two cultures is particularly remarkable and something to work on,” he added.
“In the meeting of two cultures, what we should focus on is the identity of the two countries and their reciprocity towards cultures. All this can only mean a dialogue between the countries. We believe the UAE and Italy can play key roles [in strengthening their bond].”
