6th APC to explore fresh prospects, impact of technology on sector

On the sidelines of the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), the event will be attended by distinguished regional figures from the League of Arab States (LAS), and Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Minister of Culture and Youth as well as 35 publishers and speakers. 

The conference will host eight panel sessions to analyse the future growth prospects of the Arab publishing sector. Participants will share visions and ideas that will drive innovation in finding solutions to current challenges the industry faces, and chart new plans to steer the industry towards a resilient and sustainable future powered by modern technology. 

Prominent officials who will speak at the opening ceremony of the conference are Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, President of IPA; Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth; His Excellency Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the LAS; Mohamed Rashad, President of the the Arab Publishers Association (APA); and Eman Ben Chaibah, Vice-President of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA).

Day one
The first day of the conference will see four sessions. Themed ‘Book Fairs during the Era of Digitization’, the opening discussion will be led namely; His Excellency Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center, Iman Ben Chaibah, Vice President of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA); Dr. Jamal Yahyaoui, Director of the National Book Center and Head of the Historical Archives and Documents Office in Algeria; Dr. Shukri Al Mabkhout, Author and Academic Critic from Tunisia; and Ali Abd El-Moneim, Publishing and Partnerships Consultant for Egypt.

Titled ‘Digitization Impact on Copyrights During the Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities’, the second session will see the participation of Dr. Hossam Lotfy, Professor of Civil Law at Beni Suef University, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law for Graduate Studies for Research, and a lawyer at the Beni Suef Court; Iman Hilouz, Founder and CEO of the Abjad platform in Jordan; and Salah El-Din Shabaro, Founder and Director of Neil Wafrat.com, a popular site for selling Arabic books online.

Dr. Jamal Bou Tayeb, president of Approaches for Publishing and Cultural Industries in Morocco; Dr. Ishraq Abdel Aal, Director General of Dar Al-Mamoun for Translation and Publishing at the Iraqi Ministry of Culture; and Dr. Latifa Moftaqir, Director of Books, Cabinets and Archives – Morocco, will discuss ‘Developing Publishers and Publishing Industry and Addressing the Evident Skills Gap’. 

The fourth session, ‘Post-pandemic Marketing Opportunities for the Arabic Book’, will host Emil Tian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Antoine Library in Lebanon; Ahmed Rashad, CEO of the Egyptian Lebanese House; Marie Barqirun, Senior Director of International Content Licensing for Publisher Relations, Member of the New York Bar Association; and Dr. Wassini Al’Aaraj, Novelist from Algeria, and Professor at the Central University of Algeria and the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Day Two
The second day of the conference will begin with a session titled ‘Covid-19 Crisis Repercussions on Publishing and Education Industry’, featuring Mohamed Rashad, President of the APA; Dr.  Hossam Badrawi, Former Member of the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Dr. Suleiman Al’Askari, Director of Arab Center for Educational Research for the Gulf States - Kuwait; and Hassan Yaghi, Director of Dar Al-Tanweer in Lebanon.

Mohammed Al-Freh, Director of the Department of Publishing and Translation at Obeikan Education Company, KSA; Dr. Haitham Al-Haj Ali, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian General Book Authority; Dr. Naseeba Al-Ozaibi, Emirati short story writer and winner of the Etisalat Children's Book Award 2021; and Dr. Salem Albu Saidi, Professor at Nizwa University and Arabic language and literature specialist, will lead the day’s second session ‘The reality of the Arabic Language and Influence of Contemporary Arabic Writers and Publishers on It’,

The third session ‘The Future of Arabic Libraries and the Freedom of Expression’ will host Hassan Al-Suraihi, Member of the National Center for Documentation and Archives, KSA; Dr.  Zain Abdel Hadi, General Supervisor of the New Administrative Capital Library; Eman Bushlaibi, Director of Sharjah Public Library; Dr. Khaled Azab, writer and former Head of the Projects and Central Services Sector at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

The fourth session titled ‘The Global Supply Crisis and Its Impact on the Publishing Sector’ will feature Said Abdo, President of the Egyptian Publishers Association; Fahad Al-Maamari, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Association for Libraries and Information; and Younes Bin Amara, Writer, translator, and content entrepreneur from Algeria.

In the concluding session of the APA, Eman Ben Chaibah, Vice-President of the EPA, will discuss the recommendations of the conference which is held under the theme 'Arab Content Industry and Post-pandemic Challenges'.