Sharjah: The opening of the Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival 2020 has been postponed from May 27 to the third quarter of this year, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) announced on Friday.
The original opening of the 10-day cultural festival on Wednesday (May 27) has been postponed due to upcoming school examinations in the UAE and other countries, the SBA said.
The 10-day reading extravaganza was designed by SBA “to encourage young people to gainfully utilise the long hours of #StayHome in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”
The virtual reading festival will feature cultural and literary sessions and interactive workshops hosted by celebrated Arab and foreign authors.
“The festival is also an ideal opportunity for the literary community to reinforce how despite the physical distances, culture brings us together, keeping us connected and helping build resilient societies,” said SBA chairman Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of SBA, in an earlier statement.
He added, “the virtual reading festival will leverage the potential of technologies to build on our rich cultures and create the right conditions for creativity and innovation to thrive.” “Now more than ever, the role of culture, books and reading becomes more central to our lives. The festival has been designed to have a far-reaching impact on the creation of creative societies in line with Sharjah’s cultural project, as knowledge and reading are key to the advancement of nations,” he concluded.
