Sharjah 24: On September 22, 2021, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the 21st Sharjah International Narrator Forum (SINF). The event, organised annually by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, is taking place at the Expo Centre Sharjah under the slogan “Animal Stories”, and will run until the 24th of September.

Upon his arrival, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed was received Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director of the Districts & Villages Affairs Department; Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC); His Excellency Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Forum; Salem Yousef Al Qasir, Chairman of the Labor Standards Development Authority in Sharjah; and Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council (SSC), with a number of directors and officials of government departments and bodies and representatives of cultural organisations.
During the opening ceremony, His Excellency Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Forum, said that the Sharjah Institute for Heritage is pleased with the presence of Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, to inaugurate the activities of the 21st Sharjah International Narrator Forum, which motivates the Institute to exert more effort towards success within the unlimited support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage stressed that the Sharjah International Narrator Forum is a distinguished cultural, heritage and knowledge journey, through which new knowledge and new names are explored in the field of cultural heritage from all over the world.

Dr Al Musallam stated that the SINF offers a distinctive cultural and knowledge journey during which cultural heritages from around the world can be explored. He stressed that several new events have been added, making this year’s SINF a truly enriching experience that adds to Sharjah’s path of success, progress, and prosperity. In addition, he said, the month of September will forever be synonymous with the narrator. 
Dr. Al Musallam pointed that the Institute continues to develop this cultural event in different fields, especially that the Forum always seeks to draw attention to the importance of the intangible or oral tradition.
 
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi honoured this year’s personality and a group of narrators, in addition to the young narrator.
 
In this year’s edition, The Republic of Sudan will be country-in-focus in this year’s edition of the forum and will be represented by Dr Ahmed Abdel Rahim Nasr, the honoured personality of the year in recognition of his contributions to the Arab cultural heritage. The Tunisian storyteller Abdelaziz Laroui will also be honoured as a legal personality in celebration of his rich storytelling legacy.
This year, the forum sees a distinguished participation from 38 countries, in the various programmes and events of the forum. The forum includes seminars, culturlectures and sessions that tackle many important scientific approaches to animal stories, with the participation of a group of experts, researchers and writers from more than 38 countries.
 
The SINF’s intellectual programme includes various lectures, specialised seminars, dialogues, a cultural café, and a corner for signing the forum’s publications. Sessions deal with a range of interesting topics, including the art of miniatures in Islamic civilisation, animal languages in the Arab novel, animals in ancient Egyptian narratives, animal stories in Arab and world heritage, and more. 

This edition will also see the participation of a number of organisations, cultural centres, universities and institutes.
 
With the aim of introducing the forum to the public and enabling them to follow the programme, whether outside the UAE or abroad, this year’s edition includes a set of virtual events broadcast remotely, including some cultural seminars, storytelling sessions, as well as live transmission of the forum In some Arab countries, via the Internet and social media platforms.