Sharjah 24: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Sharjah Cultural Honours Forum, which seeks to recognise individuals for their efforts in advancing Arab culture, will hold events in the capitals of Sudan and Egypt in May.

The 13th edition of the forum will honour four Sudanese authors on May 5th: novelist Zaynab Belil, poet Radhya Adam Muhammad Fadl al-Mawla, translator Taj al-Sir Khadir Sayid Ahmad, and short story writer Mukhtar Ibrahim Muhammad Ajuba.

On May 11, the forum will honour critic Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Hajjaji, poet Muhammad Zakaria Anani, storyteller and novelist Jar al-Nabi al-Hilu, and writer Abdu Muhammad Abdu in its 14th edition in Egypt.

Mr Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Owais, Head of the Sharjah Department of Culture, stated, "The Sharjah Forum for Cultural Honours has its peculiarity and great impact in celebrating Arab intellectuals as part of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah's vision to complete what the Sharjah cultural project started decades ago in rewarding Arab writers and showing appreciation for their tireless efforts in the service of Arab culture."

"The forum, which launched in April 2021, reached dozens of writers and thinkers in Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, and Jordan and honoured them in their countries and among their families amid a delightful popular and official cultural celebration," according to Al-Owais. It was also well-represented at a wide range of cultural events.