Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023 kicks off with 50 exhibitors

Held under the theme ‘Al Dhafra: Celebrating a Cultural Legacy’, the festival will host a comprehensive cultural programme featuring poetry evenings, seminars, and artistic activities. Abu Dhabi, UAE – Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023 (ADBF), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), kicked off today under the theme ‘Al Dhafra: Celebrating a Cultural Legacy’. The festival will host a diverse cultural programme, including a range of events, such as poetry evenings, seminars, and artistic activities, to foster knowledge and culture among all members of the community.

The event brings together 50 exhibitors at the Public Park in Zayed City, Al Dhafra Region, every day from 4:00 pm till midnight, from 4-10 December. In line with the vision of the UAE’s leadership, the festival aims to showcase Al Dhafra as a leading cultural, touristic, and historical destination for visitors from the UAE and abroad. Furthermore, the event seeks to inspire a sense of pride in the region, building on the foundations laid by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, decades ago.

His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said: “The Al Dhafra region featured prominently in the thoughts and poems of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It is a city of poetry icons, a destination for their journeys, with a long history and rich folk heritage, making it an ideal venue for organising this festival.

” “We have been keen to build upon the success of the festival’s past editions,” H. E. added.

“We aim to present a comprehensive cultural, artistic, and educational programme to foster intellect and thought, improve cultural knowledge, and connect the people with books, promoting a culture of reading. We believe that reading is a fundamental element of community development, and it is our endeavour to contribute to this process. This year’s edition of the book festival will present a comprehensive lineup of events highlighting the exceptional position of Al Dhafra city.

We also want to reinforce the community members’ sense of pride and belonging towards Al Dhafra and enhance the city’s heritage status. Our goal is to work together to create a generation of avid readers, enable them to contribute to nation’s bright future, and cultivate awareness and understanding for our national aspirations. ” For his part, H.

E. Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, said: “Once again, we present the topics of culture, arts, and creativity to the people of Al Dhafra, showcasing the beauty of poetry. We offer events that match the status and legacy of the city, as embodied in the poetry of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Our diverse events aim to enrich the knowledge and experiences of all community members, providing them with several different sources of information, while also catering to their specific cultural preferences. ” H. E.

Al Tunaiji added: “This year, we are excited to have a group of talented individuals participating in a variety of activities covering poetry, literature, philosophy, academia, and the arts. They will share a wealth of experiences and knowledge with the public through panel discussions, seminars, and poetry evenings. We will showcase several innovations that will help Centre achieve its vision and goals of refining tastes and preferences among the people of Al Dhafra and the UAE as a whole.

” The programme features a wide range of cultural events, allowing audiences to enjoy the poetry evening series named ‘Voices Loved by the People’ for the second year running. The poetry evenings have been devoted to poets such as Ali Ahmed Al Kendi Al Marar, Rashed bin Sendiah Al Mansouri, Rashid bin Futtaimah Al Mansouri, Ali Salem Al Hameli, Abdullah Omar Bakhit Al Mansouri, and Mubarak bin Yafour Al Amiri. The festival will also include a ceremony to honour the winners of the first edition of the Golden Narrative (Sard Al Thahab) Award, which recognises distinguished storytellers and narrators of literature at the Arab and international levels.

Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023 will also feature several cultural seminars, including a session titled ‘Yes I Can!’ and ‘A Story of Hope’. Other sessions on the agenda include ‘Sustainability through Generations’, ‘The Relationship of Arab Youth Today with the Linguistic Heritage of the Arabic Language’, and a session about ‘Cultural Journalism and Creating Reading Awareness’. The Arts Programme this year will host a variety of styles to attract visitors from Al Dhafra, including murals, floor art, caricature drawings, an art corner, and a new photography corner.

This year’s edition of the festival will present a special programme for children, holding a ‘Youth Corner’ for the first time, which includes activities designed specifically for children over 12 years of age, designed to enhance their grasp of concepts like creativity and innovation in several fields, including media, science, space, and chemistry. The Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023 is held in collaboration with the Municipal Community Centre at Al Dhafra Region as a partner and PayRaw as a logistic partner. The programs are also organised in collaboration with a group of partners, including the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, the Arabic Language Youth Council, the Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Future Generation Society, and the Environment Friends Society.

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