“KwB” and “1001 Titles” Showcase Sharjah’s Experience in Building New Generations of Readers

In promoting Sharjah’s cultural and literary agenda as ‘Special Guest City’ at the 38th Paris International Book Fair, Sharjah based cultural initiative – Knowledge without Borders (KwB) – and 1001 Titles Initiative hosted a panel discussion to share its unique experiences in the process of promoting reading in UAE society in the past 10 years. The panel shed light on how state entities like KwB are working continuously to build a generation that will be able to lead a knowledge-based society and economy in the UAE.

Themed ‘Cultural Initiatives from Sharjah’, the event brought together Noura bin Hadiya, Manager of KwB, Majd Al Shehhi, Manager of the “1001 Titles” initiative of KwB, and Ayesha Al Naqbi, the youngest Emirati writer supported by 1001 Titles.

Noura bin Hadiya said: “Sharjah has started a series of momentous cultural initiatives in the UAE and the region in the past few decades. These have had a deep impact on our cultural and intellectual landscape, locally regionally and globally. Knowledge without Borders is one of these pilot initiatives led by Sharjah, which has made a significant contribution in strengthening the role of books and making them accessible to people, especially children, no matter where they are. In doing so, it has brought diverse communities together who have used these books to express themselves freely and understand other cultures.”

The session shed light on the main goals of KwB as well as the milestones it has reached since it was launched in 2008 under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and is closely followed up by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Organising Committee of KwB, which is focused mainly on deepening the relationship between individuals and books, promoting a culture of reading in every Emirati household.

“The impressive results achieved by KwB in the last 10 years prove the initiative’s impact in spreading awareness about the importance of reading in the UAE.  The initiative has taken free libraries to every local household in Sharjah – an unprecedented move that has contributed to furthering people’s love for books, culture and reading, cementing the emirate’s stature as the capital of Arabic and Islamic cultures,” Bin Hadiya said.

KwB has launched several initiatives including ‘Home Library’, ‘Mobile Library’, ‘Knowledge Cart’, ‘Neighbourhood Library’, ‘Digital Library’. All these initiatives, which have added a value to the cultural and literary scene in Sharjah, have seen a huge turnout by both citizens and residents.

The Manager of KwB highlighted that ‘Home Library’ has been one of its most impactful initiatives, launched in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi, to take reading to every Emirati household in Sharjah. In the process, KwB delivered 42,366 free libraries stocked with a total of 218,300 books across the emirate, signaling a unique regional feat.

Majd Al Shehhi showcased the ‘1001 Titles’ initiative, which was launched by KwB in 2016 under the vision and directives of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, an initiative launched to give a strong boost to the production of high quality original Arabic content produced by local publishers.  

Al Shehhi underlined the initiative’s success in its first phase, 2016–17, characterised by the publication of 1,001 first-edition titles representing a variety of genres at a budget of AED 5 million provided by the initiative. She noted that the second edition of ‘1001 Titles’ has already started getting queries from several Emirati publishers and authors who wish to receive the initiative’s patronage and support.

In its second phase, 1001 Titles aims to split its AED 5 million budget to support the successful production of 700 titles contributed by members of the EPA, and another 301 titles by local publishers and authors in the UAE.

Ayesha Al Naqbi talked about her experience in writing and the prominent figures that supported and encouraged her to become a published writer. The youngest Emirati author spoke about her experience with ‘1001 Titles’, which was responsible for bringing out her debut novel, Blue Moon.