English edition of ‘Dare to Dream’ on Sheikh Mohammed to be launched at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

Abu Dhabi: After the enormous success of its Arabic edition, the English version of Raed Barqawi’s acclaimed Dare to Dream: How Mohammed bin Rashid Made His Dreams Come True will be launched at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) 2022 on Saturday.

The book, written by the executive editor-in-chief of Al Khaleej newspaper — the UAE’s first daily Arabic newspaper — details how the vision and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid turned Dubai into a success story, a leading global hub for talent and a place where people can find resources and opportunities to fulfil their dreams. The book that offers insights into how Sheikh Mohammed’s exceptional mind and unique approach, is published by Motivate Media Group.

Barqawi has enjoyed a front-row seat for more than three decades, watching Sheikh Mohammed turn his dreams into reality.

“It is fascinating to be surrounded by a personality like His Highness, who has been racing against time to an extent that might surprise you. His persistence and ambition pushed me to dig deeper into the history of the UAE over the past 50 years and shed light on how dreams can be achieved in a race to become #1 globally. With assertiveness and will, His Highness decided to dream for his country and his people and today we are harvesting the results of these dreams. I would like to extend my appreciation and thanks to my publisher and all those who helped in bringing this book to its readers,” the author added.

ADIBF organiser, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has meanwhile opened registration for its ‘Spotlight on Copyright’ programme. The programme aims to raise awareness about the benefits of copyrighting works, while also supporting the translation of content into and from Arabic. The programme also provides grants to convert printed content into digital e-books and audiobooks and fosters cooperation between Arab and international publishers.

Available grants

The grants offered by the programme for a printed book translated into, or from, Arabic range from Dh9,200 to Dh14,700. In addition, grants to convert printed works to e-books ranged between Dh3,700 and Dh7,400, while grants to convert print works to audiobooks range from Dh5,500 to Dh7,400.

The programme was first launched in 2009 and has since published more than 900 books with over 100 publishers across various categories, including children’s books, science, history and social sciences. These books, which enrich the Arabic literature scene, have since also been translated into several other international languages. By 2020, more than 900 books had been translated, with a total of Dh1,836,000 being awarded. In 2020, the programme introduced an audio and e-book grant to keep pace with the rapid transformation of the publishing sector globally. Electronic and audio content is now outpacing printed content around the world, as well as in the Arab region.

Enhancing Arabic content

“With this programme, the ALC seeks to promote respect for intellectual property rights in the Arab world. It encourages knowledge exchange between Arab and foreign publishing houses and works tirelessly to enrich Arabic content by offering support to publishers and encouraging the translation of content to and from Arabic,” said Saeed Al Tunaiji, the acting executive director of ALC and ADIBF director.

Participants can register and submit applications for the ‘Spotlight on Copyright’ programme online or in person at ADIBF.

The fair is running until May 29.