The continuous fruits of the cumulative effort of the cultural project in Sharjah, which is largely credited to the owner of this project and its founder, who has exerted great efforts in maintaining its function and development, are still being harvested by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Sultan, the patron of Culture, the believer in its vital role in human development, in the renaissance of society and the refinement of man, and in the speech, he made to the editors of a number of newspapers and representatives of media institutions during his visit to the pavilion of Sharjah, represented by the Sharjah Book Authority at the 48th session of the London Book Fair. The theme of the successful cultural project was summarized by saying that cultural action requires perseverance, patience, and diligence, as well as a full knowledge of all forms of culture, and that this work must be based upon solid foundations for sustainability and permanence to take place.
In this speech, he explained the long route Sharjah took to behold the title of the International Book Capital, explaining that she applied eight times but did not despair, confident that her cultural project deserved the chance to present itself to the world with merit and to enjoy what it deserved of appreciation, until it finally won the title on the ninth time. This confirms Sultan’s words, “Cultural work requires persistence and determination and is not limited by any boundaries.”
A decade ago, Sharjah, under the patronage of its enlightened intellectual ruler, launched its cultural project in its first years, and this project is steadily making its way to success, achieving unstoppable accomplishments. Sharjah is not only the cultural capital of the UAE, but also it has become an Arab cultural capital and a destination for intellectuals, artists, thinkers, and innovators from all Arab lands in its continuous and growing annual cultural season that is clearly multiplying and spreading. Thus, they are aware of what culture can achieve, if it receives the care, attention, and constant support that it needs, all of which are matters that are in the agenda of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah. Through these means, Sharjah has achieved what it now enjoys of a global cultural position.
Every time Sharjah achieves cultural success, it does not stop at it, but it waits for more and more. This is what His Highness said: “This title is not honorable; it is a mandate that requires us to work more and more, as the work is no longer only locally, and not individually, but globally collective.”
Any success that Sharjah achieves is rendered a success for the United Arab Emirates in its multi-faceted renaissance. It is a success for all Arabs, because, in Sultan’s words, “It does not aspire to an earlier achievement or exclusivity, but it has undertaken to achieve that for every Arab country, as it has been achieved for it.”
Source: Al Khaleej Newspaper. Dr. Hassan Madan.