Sharjah Narrative Forum concludes its 20th Edition in Tunisia

The Forum was held under the title "The New Short Story... Transformations in Form and Structure", and saw the participation of more than 50 Tunisian novelists, short story writers, academics and critics.

The forum is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and focuses on the critical field in narrative in all its creative forms.

The closing ceremony of the forum was held at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace in Sidi Bou Said in the capital Tunis, in the presence of His Excellency Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture; Professor Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qaseer, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs at Sharjah Department of Culture; Jamila Al Majri, Director of the House of Poetry of Kairouan, and a large number of critics, academics, researchers and specialists in the field of narrative.

Participants in the Narrative Forum confirm that Sharjah is the vibrant Arab culture, and that the cultural action emanating from Sharjah is almost uninterrupted in all creative fields, and extends to caring for writers on both the moral and material levels. They note that Tunisia sees for the first time a forum discussing the history and developments of the short story in Tunisia, which gave them the opportunity to meet for the first time. 

Researcher and short story writer Mohammed Al May believes that the cultural action emanating from Sharjah is almost uninterrupted in all creative fields, and notes that the work extends to caring for writers on both the moral and material levels. 

Al May pointed out that what Sharjah provides for culture, which is something that is unparalleled, motivates Arab creators to move forward in their creative project, and highlights that Sharjah is a permanent capital of Arab culture, and even if cultural action in the Arab world stops sometimes, Sharjah quickly restores it to life. 

Al May confirmed that the importance of the Sharjah Narrative Forum lies in the fact that it provides Tunisian intellectuals with an opportunity, the first of its kind, to gather in one place. He believes that the Tunisian short story will emerge from its local context and reach the world, confirming that it is one of the signs of the forum, which will leave a great impact on the Tunisian cultural scene.