Sharjah 24 – WAM: Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, has inaugurated the 31st Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

The opening ceremony was attended by Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education; Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth; Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi; Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi; Dr Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC; and Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Acting Executive Director of the ALC and Director of ADIBF, along with a host of academics, experts and book enthusiasts.

As part of his tour, Sheikh Saif visited the German pavilion. For the second year running, Germany is the fair’s guest of honour. His Highness was also briefed on a number of local, Arab and international pavilions and publishing houses participating in this year’s edition.

A significant part of the ADIBF 2022 programme was devoted to promoting notable literary and intellectual works from Germany. The agenda includes panel discussions that bring together prominent German writers, intellectuals and thinkers, who will introduce the audience to the country’s culture and leading cultural figures, in addition to showcasing the most important German literary, cultural and artistic works.

ADIBF’s 31st edition will also roll out a new programme, Taha Hussein Reading is Seeing, dedicated to the fair’s ‘Personality of the Year’ Dr. Taha Hussein, in recognition of the esteemed Egyptian author’s significant influence in the fields of culture, thought, knowledge, and creativity, among others.