National Media Council Sets Up Interactive Booth at Sharjah International Book Fair 2018

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah accompanied by H.E. Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), visited the NMC’s booth at the 37th Sharjah International Book Fair.

His Excellency Dr. Rashid Al Nuaimi, Executive Director of Media Affairs at NMC, briefed His Highness on the various programs and activities to be held by at NMC’s interactive booth throughout the Fair, which are in line with its strategic objectives and its role in the media industry. The Fair is taking place from October 31 to November 10, 2018, at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The Council’s participation in the Fair seeks to raise awareness around its services and introduce the audience to the content industry through panel discussions and dialogue sessions. The NMC is also set to interact with publishers and writers, introducing its media content management regulations, Age Classification System, electronic media regulations, and the recently launched advertising guide.

“By participating in the Sharjah International Book Fair, the National Media Council seeks to highlight its continuous efforts to develop and promote the publishing sector in the UAE,” said Dr Rashid Al Nuaimi, NMC’s Executive Director of Media Affairs. “This, in turn, serves our objectives and strategies and reflects the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership, who have called for harnessing the power of media to support national strategies and initiatives – particularly the cultural ones. Culture has become the primary component in building strong communities capable, through science and knowledge, of achieving progress and development.”

“The Sharjah International Book Fair has established itself as an important international cultural destination, bringing together hundreds of publishing houses from different countries around the world to showcase their creative, intellectual and academic publications in various international languages,” Al Nuaimi added. “With that in mind, the Council considers the Book Fair to be a prominent platform for highlighting the cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates and its message of tolerance, moderation and openness to the world.”

Over the course of the exhibition, the Council will organise events, seminars and workshops, including “The Way to the Best-Seller Books”, which brings together high-profile guests and experts to discuss several topics such as the motives for evaluating and reviewing books, and to what extent this assessment can improve the circulation of books and encourage reading.

The NMC will also be organising a creative writing workshop for children aged 9 to 10, which aims to enhance their creative writing skills in Arabic, introduce them to the Age Classification System for books, promote teamwork and the exchange of ideas among them, stimulate their imagination to invent events and write creative stories, promote national pride among children during the Year of Zayed, and enhance the Council’s participation in events within the sector.

The National Media Council will additionally hold a panel discussion on the strategic relationship between the UAE and India from a cultural perspective, scheduled for Friday, November 9, 2018, from 18:00 to 19:30. The Council will host the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Indian MP Dr Shashi Tharoor, who will talk about the political, cultural and social relations between the UAE and India in light of the historic ties between the two countries.