Paris: His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has affirmed his support for the Arab World Institute in Paris and its activities, cultural events and scientific projects, which will help extend cooperation and cultural ties between the Arab world and France.
Dr Shaikh Sultan made these remarks in his speech at Sharjah cultural morning ceremony held at the Arab World Institute, Paris, in the presence of Shaikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Emirates Publishers Association and Kalimat Group.
Dr Shaikh Sultan said that the institute had gone through some difficulties earlier, citing reasons that the Arab countries did not give the culture the attention required, which led to the disruption of some events of the institute.
Dr Shaikh Sultan pointed out that UAE represented by the Government of Abu Dhabi is one of the main supporters of the Arab World Institute and that he supports the Institute through a number of cultural and scientific projects.
He called on the Arab countries to join efforts to promote Arab culture. He said to acquaint others with the Arab culture, Arab countries should officially participate in international cultural forums.
The Ruler of Sharjah said that the cultural institutions in Sharjah are working within the framework of a cultural programme to support artists and intellectuals in the Arab world and other countries of the world.
Dr Shaikh Sultan also visited the library of the Arab World Institute in Paris, which is the largest library on the Arab world in France. It includes a collection of about 100,000 works and documents in several languages. It receives about one million visitors annually. The library was reopened three years after it was closed for restoration.
Dr Shaikh Sultan presented the library with a comprehensive collection of his literary works and historical books, as a contribution to support the cultural scene in the French capital and to build a cooperation through culture.
He witnessed the launch of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature on the sidelines of the Paris Book Fair on Saturday, celebrating Sharjah as Special Guest City for the 38th edition of the fair, and on the occasion of launching the 10th edition of the award.
Dr Shaikh Sultan was briefed by the award’s organisers about its objectives in encouraging those who are working to produce high quality literature for the Arab children.
Shaikha Bodour stressed that the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature aims to increase the interest of children and young people in the books by encouraging authors and artists to improve the quality of text, and encouraging publishers to focus more on the quality of the books.
