The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has launched a new cultural programme to run in parallel to its ninth cycle of proceedings from 2014-2015.
With the aim to highlight Abu Dhabi’s cultural mandate and its role in supporting the book industry in the region, there will be a series of cultural seminars and intellectual assemblies held in Jordan, France, Spain and Japan.
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Secretary General of Sheikh Zayed Book Award said that the new programme builds on the award’s vision of cultural diversity, peaceful co-existence and reinforcement of creativity of any origin. “Through these collaborations, we strive to promote the Award’s efforts around the world and enrich the cultural dialogue to bridge the gap between civilisations within the worldly cultural arena, on both regional and global frontiers.”
The first session in Amman on August 18th will be a discussion on Contemporary Arab Discourse and Critique hosted in cooperation with the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation with Dr. Rami Abu Shihab, a winner of the 2014 award and Dr. Khalil Al Sheikh, a member of the award's scientific committee.
In December, in collaboration with the Arab World Institute, a second seminar entitled Arabic Culture in Other Languages will bring together the historian Professor Mario Liverani, another winner of last year's award and Dr Tamim as well as Kadhim Jihad, a member of the scientific committee and Farouk Mardam-Bey, a prominent writer.
Two more seminars will take place in Spain and Japan.
• The call for nominations for the nine categories of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award is open until September 1.
• The categories are as follows: Best Contribution to the Development of Nations, Children’s Literature [including adolescent books], Young Author, Translation, Literature, Literary and Art Criticism, Arabic Culture in Other Languages, Publishing and Cultural Technologies, and Cultural Personality of the Year.
For more information on how to nominate visit the website
