Sharjah Children's Reading Festival Concludes its Eighth Edition

The Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) concluded its eighth edition yesterday (Saturday), with the event attracting 254,000 visitors over its 11 days. The figure represents an 18% increase on the attendance figures for last year’s event.

The region’s leading literary festival for young people, which ran from April 20-30 at Expo Centre Sharjah, featured a lineup of 1,518 events spanning reading activities, interactive workshops and entertainment shows, all of which had been formulated to develop children's talents and enrich their knowledge.

SCRF 2016 was held in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and His Highness’ Wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.

This year's SCRF, organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), was held under the theme ‘Shine Out,’ with the event coinciding with the UAE's 'Year of Reading 2016' initiative launched by the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The festival was graced by the visit of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, who allocated AED 2.5 million worth of books for children and young people to add to Sharjah's public, school and university libraries. Purchased from publishers participating at SCRF 2016, the initiative was geared to enhance the Year of Reading, as well as support publishers and the regional book industry as a whole.

Inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, SCRF 2016 featured a diverse array of cultural, educational, entertainment and art events, as well as seminars and intellectual panel discussions conducted by a plethora of Arab and international intellectuals.

HE Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, said; "The eighth edition of Sharjah Children's Reading Festival was a success, as evidenced by its 18% increase in the number of visitors compared with last year's edition. Its high level of attendance over the 11 days is testament to its importance as a cultural platform that instils a love of reading in children and encourages them to view books as their friends and a source of great pleasure in their lives.” 

“The festival’s resounding popularity signifies that we are on the right path to realise the vision of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, to give children special attention. SCRF elevates children as the future of the nation and works to provide them with all means that enable them to have easy access to knowledge and encourages them to innovate," he added.

Al Ameri underlined that the overwhelming response to the festival from children, families, teachers, school administrators and all stakeholders concerned with children’s reading, inspires SBA to continue to add new events and services in the coming years to meet the interests of younger visitors and keep pace with the spirit of the age. He said that the authority would redouble its efforts to ensure that the festival remains a creative and educational environment for children in the UAE, as well as for visitors from fraternal countries.

Highlighting a first that took place at the festival, the SBA Chairman said: "SCRF launched the world's first virtual reality book at SCRF 2016, which enables the child to engage with its events and be influenced by its characters directly. We adopted the use of digital virtual technology in books with the aim of attracting children and encouraging them to read by taking advantage of their passion for technology and its latest developments.”

SCRF 2016 was characterised by its numerous methods of inspiring children, with such events such as ‘The Maze.’ This feature offered children the opportunity to explore the classics of world literature by presenting 10 stories inspired by the world’s literary heritage. The stories included ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,’ ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ ‘The Snow Queen and others. The festival also hosted dozens of reading sessions that helped bring the world of books closer to children through the recital of stories and tales.

SCRF 2016 hosted numerous theatrical performances and entertainment shows, most notably the play ‘Amazing Shakespeare,’ which was conducted to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of the world’s most famous author and playwright, William Shakespeare. Other plays included ‘Al Nool,’ which was the first theatrical performance at the festival to be presented by a group of youngsters with special needs. 

The eighth edition of SCRF also featured the Social Media Café, which hosted a prominent group of Arab and foreign celebrities to convey their experiences to children and make them aware of how they can utilise the latest technological developments in benefiting themselves, their community and their country.

A number of specialised exhibitions were hosted for the first time at SCRF 2016, with one popular attraction titled: ‘Beyond Planet Earth.’ The spectacular installation featured a collection of mini-presentations that took visitors on a journey to explore the future and the possibilities of space flight. The interactive display comprised the ‘Solar System Theatre,’ ‘Returning to the Moon,’ ‘Exploring Asteroids’ and ‘Voyaging to Mars,’ with its features designed to take the intrepid traveller on a tour of the solar system and beyond.

SCRF 2016 also hosted for the first time the ‘Seraj Al Hadarat’ (Light of Civilisations) exhibition, which encompassed a collection of rare manuscripts, books, pictures and maps dating back to the period between the 16th and 19th centuries. The exhibition was an opportunity for children to gain glimpses into the development of the Arab-Islamic civilisation.

Making its appearance for its fifth year was the Sharjah Exhibition for Children's Books Illustrations, with this edition featuring 1,380 works from professional illustrators from 46 countries. An array of 35 events were held as part of the exhibition to instil a love of this creative art in children and to motivate them practice their skills in the profession of illustrations that decorate and adorn their books. 

SCRF 2016 drew 130 publishers from 15 countries to participate in its various events and activities. The UAE topped the list with 55 publishing houses, followed by Lebanon with 25 and Egypt with 20. Canada, China, India and the United Kingdom were among the many other countries that had a significant presence at this year’s festival. The books on display were available in in many languages; most notably Arabic, English, French, Hindi and Urdu.

SCRF 2016’s packed agenda of educational and entertainment events incorporated the Kids Programme with 1,245 activities, the Cultural Programme with 74, the Cookery Programme with 61 and the workshops with 27. There were 45 initiatives were held as part of the ‘Beyond Planet Earth’ installation. Government organisations and leading publishing houses organised additional activities that contributed to enriching the festival and turning it into a creative, integrated arena dedicated to advancing the love of reading in young minds.