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SHARJAH / Emirates Business
His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, will witness the launch of the region’s largest children’s reading event on Wednesday at 10:00 AM, as more than 2,093 activities and 123 international exhibitors focus on the needs, trends, issues and solutions of young readers at the ninth edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, SCRF is being organized this year under the theme ‘Discover Beyond’.
Running from April, 19–29 at Expo Centre Sharjah, SCRF will welcome 179 guests from 18 countries, six of which are participating for the first time; China, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Morocco. Widely accepted as one of the industry’s most diverse children’s literary events, SCRF covers more than 2,300 square metres and has several programmes catering to different interests, ages and audiences.
The Children’s Programme features 55 guests from 22 countries, the Cultural Programme brings together 60 guests from 23 countries taking part in 40 activities and the Cookery Programme includes 83 activities conducted by 14 guests from 14 countries, incorporating live cooking demonstrations, cooking competitions and the little chef.
The human brain will be the key topic of this year’s edition. ‘Brain: The Inside Story’ is a first-of-its-kind exhibition in the UAE. Organised by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the exhibition aims to discover the secrets of the human brain by taking visitors on a thrilling journey of science and philosophy.
The exhibition will feature an array of interactive activities which will shed light on brain’s function and development, as well as the impact of technology on humans in the future, and the mechanisms of human emotions.
The Social Media Café programmes will include influencers of all ages participating in a spectrum of activities and competitions. SCRF 2017 will use the hashtag #SCRF17 in all its news, comments and photos.
The festival will also play host to the Little Innovator Café, where visitors can meet talented children in literature, sports, science and art. Youngsters who have achieved remarkable successes will share their stories with the audience and speak about their innovations, achievements and ambitions.
The sixth edition of the Sharjah Children’s Books Illustrations Exhibition will feature 303 artworks by 90 artists from around the world. The ‘School Students Competition’ will present a daily award to the best written report about one of the festival’s seminars, as well as the ‘Universities, Colleges and Institutes Students Competition’ prize, which is awarded for the most innovative and expressive original illustrations.
This year, an elite group of Arab authors and artists who have been responsible for enriching the Arab cultural landscape will attend, such as Hanan Turk, Egyptian actress and Editor of Nona Magazine for children; Ghazi Hussein, Kuwaiti media personality; Mohammed Al Hana’i, Omani Author and media personality; Hasan Khalil Abdullah, Lebanese writer and author of ‘The Fog Shepherd’ and Amal Farah, Egyptian writer, among others.
Also attending as special guests are international authors including Gayle Forman, American journalist and New York Times best-selling author of ‘Just One Day’ and ‘Just One Year’; Kwame Alexander, American poet and New York Times best-selling author of ‘He Said, She Said’ and Korky Paul, British children’s book illustrator.