How Dubai's Emirates Literature Festival 2023 will delight readers and non-readers
Festival director Ahlam Bolooki gives fresh insights into the 15th edition of the event
Dubai: The 15th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will be an experiential delight that appeals to readers and non-readers alike more than ever before, says the festival director Ahlam Bolooki.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, one of the biggest celebration of stories in the Arab region and one of the top literary festivals in the world will be held from February 1-6, 2023.
The names of top authors, who will headline the upcoming Emirates LitFest, were announced in November [see below]. Abras will ferry speakers and audiences across Dubai Creek in Al Jadaf to enjoy the sessions and festival vibes at two venues, the Intercontinental at Festival City, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library.
Speaking to Gulf News about how the Emirates LitFest is going to enthrall bibiliophiles and others alike, Bolooki said: “Authors will take people on a figurative journey around the world with sessions in English, Arabic, Hindi, Italian, Tagalog, Malayalam and Urdu. We will celebrate the rhythm of life with the iconic ‘Desert Stanzas,’ a night of poetry under the stars, with an international line-up. Admirers of spoken word will enjoy ‘Fresh Air, Fresh Lyrics,’ an open mic night in an outdoor setting. Festival-goers can also join internationally acclaimed musicians Mariela Shaker and Riyad Nicolas for a magical fusion of music.”
She said Hogwart enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the ‘Wizarding World’ with the graphic designers who brought to life the imaginative universe of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies.
Meanwhile, pop culture fans will be spoilt for choice as the festival welcomes creators of horror Filipino komik series ‘Trese,’ Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo; cartoonist and creator of the popular webcomic ‘Strange Planet,’ Nathan Pyle; video game writer, Rhianna Pratchett, known for writing ‘Tomb Raider’ and comic book and science fiction prose writer, Saladin Ahmed.
Food for thought
“Filipino historian, Ambeth Ocampo, will give you food for thought as he deconstructs the history behind the delicious foods of the Philippines such as ‘dirty ice cream,’ ‘banana ketchup’ and ‘stinking fish’,” said Bolooki.
TikTok’s literary community Booktok-sensation Bolu Babalola will host a ‘galentine’ get-together, talking all things romance and of course, her debut novel ‘Honey and Spice,’ sprinkled with themed mocktails and snacks, plus an interactive romcom quiz,” said Bolooki.
The Festival’s Curator-in-Residence, Lemn SIssay has been instrumental in putting together several Festival sessions including a celebration of friendship with his fellow poets Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta and Tishani Doshi, plus an unmissable heart-wrenching conversation with novelist Kit de Waal as they discuss their dysfunctional childhoods and what gave them the power to triumph over this.
Virtual sessions
Speaking about the changes post the COVID-19 pandemic, Bolooki said: “The safety of our authors and our audiences has always been a top priority for us, but we are also firm believers that culture is a fundamental human right. As such, in 2021, we were one of the first Festivals to have a full programme in a hybrid format, with locally based authors joining in-person and international authors virtually.”
“In 2022, most authors flew in with only a few appearing virtually. Our focus will always be on bringing the world’s best writers, speakers and thinkers to Dubai but we have also grown and evolved and learnt from the pandemic to embrace video technology, as it is a wonderful way to include speakers who are not able to travel for any reason, age, health, et cetera.”
For the third year in a row, virtual sessions will be made available to watch online from the week after the Festival through the ‘Month of Reading,’ starting from 10 February 10 to March 31, 2023. During this time, students will be able to watch the sessions at their own convenience. Virtual LitFest packages can be purchased from the website of the Emirates Literature Foundation.
Signature events
“With the change in government guidelines, we are bringing back our signature dinner events, and these get snapped up very quickly, so audiences need to have fast fingers and book them online quickly,” said Bolooki.
“We are also able to offer day passes and weekend passes ensuring book lovers can enjoy as many sessions as they want without breaking the bank. Back by popular demand, the ‘Emirates LitFest Fringe Stage’ will give young performers an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of an international audience, and a chance for families and friends to come to the Festival and enjoy performance events for free,” Bolooki added.
Youngsters can help author Flavia Z Drago solve the problems of Gustavo the Shy Ghost and Leila the Perfect Witch; meet Kevin, the Roly-Poly Flying Pony, the latest wonderful creation of Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre; or join a world of adventure with larger-than-life character Geronimo Stilton.
Full List of authors and main events at Emirates LitFest 2023
Old Friends and New (returning and new headline authors)
Jeffrey Archer
Brian Cox
David Koepp
Cecelia Ahern
Mohsin Hamid
Alexander McCall Smith
Bonnie Garmus
Bolu Babalola
Jo Browning Wroe
Greg Mosse
Emirati Spotlight
Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Ali Al Saloom
Habib Al Attar
Sarah Abdulrahman.
World Literature (tales from around the world)
Geetanjali Shree
M. Mukundan
Reem Al Gurg
Jamil Jan Kochai
Ambeth Ocampo
Dr Ali Khan
Something wicked this way comes (Crime/ Thrillers)
Ragnar Jónasson
Catriona Ward
Roger Luckhurst
Kerry Daynes
Perfect #Pop Culture (Animation, Illustration, Film, TV)
Nathan Pyle
Saladin Ahmed
Rhianna Pratchett
Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo
MinaLima graphic designers
Rhythm of Life (Poetry and performance)
Harry Baker
Chris Read
Mariela Shaker
Riyad Nicolas
Afra Atiq
Danabelle Gutierrez
Arab World
Ahmed Eisa Al Asam
Mohammed Alnaas
Jalal Bargas
Shahad Alrawi
Tareq Imam
Inaam Kachachi
Yasmina Khadra
Ahmad Fakhouri
Mona Alturief
Current affairs
Omar Saif Ghobash
Reza Aslan
Marina Mahathir
Shashi Tharoor
Barkha Dutt
Live Your Best Life (Lifestyle, Health and Wellness)
Dr Rangan Chatterjee
Professor Rose Anne Kenny
Vex King
Simon Waterson
Alexandra Shulman
Kat Farmer
Rissa Manaquil-Trillo
Kaushal
History and Culture
James Fox
William Dalrymple
Shrabani Basu
Lucy Worsley
Kate Mosse
Manu S. Pillai
Fantastic Getaways (Adventure, Travel)
Benedict Allen
Santhosh George Kulungara
Science
Marcus du Sautoy
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Jo Marchant
Building a Better World
Anna Turns
Mariam Almheiri
Bobby Chin
Lucy Easthope
Shahd Alshammari
Anthony Geffen
Business and Publishing
Ann Hiatt
Ghizlan Guenez
Rissa Mananquil-Trillo
Piyush Pandey
Annie Arsane Mattar
Family Fun (Children’s and YA Literature)
David Walliams
Ben Miller
Onjali Q Rauf
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Oliver Jeffers
Rob Biddulph
Julia Johnson
Maitha Al Khayat
Lemn Sissay
Greg Stobbs
You Only Live Once (One-off events, Special events)
Celebration of Gibran Khalil Gibran
Fables Around the Fire
Scrabble Tournament
Big Fat LitFest Quiz
Desert Stanzas
Screening of My Name is Leon
Workshops
Luigi
Alison Bonomi
Felicity Blunt