The future is dawning now and here from the child culture and from urging or "instigating" the child to read. That is what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah seeks to achieve within his remarkable and important cultural and developmental project. Perhaps, the children reading festival is one of the evidences that reflect his Highness's intention to establish a "founding" culture for Emirati and Arab children in order to achieve the knowledge concept as a lever for society. The focus here is on Sharjah's treatment of culture as a crosscutting issue, as well as on culture financing as a real business investment. Dr. Sultan invests in the human being as he allocates rewarding budgets for the cultural movement of all its components such as the theater, diversification, poetry, narration, heritage and books. Through this unique and influential work, Dr. Sultan directs a clear message to the Arabs and the world: progress is but only through thought, culture and knowledge. Renaissance is but achieved only by man and science.
What are spent on culture in this luminous context is an investment whose return not only comes but also tangible from now for every prudent aware person. Sultan's message represents a substantive contradiction for those who think that spending on culture is a waste, which is noticed at the Arab level.
The purpose is that cultural development is an integral part of the comprehensive and balanced development. Moreover, reliable culture embodies the development even at the economic core meaning with its nature and character. This is what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi realized, sought to achieve and established foundations that extended their fruitful positive actions and business to the Arab world regions from the ocean to the gulf.
It is established in Dr. Sultan awareness that culture is the first brick in the building of man and future so that it establishes and paves the way for a general community awareness. In addition, in His Highness awareness, the person who loves poetry, is passionate about theater, narration and heritage, follows and tastes diversification is a person who is more worthy to deal with others with love including his wife and children. He is also more capable of work and production, acts with tact and decency, respecting others and driving his car respectfully and skillfully, etc.
That is what His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah believes in culture as a means of change and it cannot be separated away from its twin “science”. Therefore, he casted his concentration on the role of culture palaces as well as studies and research centers, in addition to universities that have become well known and internationally renowned because of his direct management and supervision.
After some days, Traditional Sharjah starts in the heart of Sharjah, in several cities and regions and ends with the launch of an international award for heritage. The Sharjah Children's Reading Festival started aiming to reading, disarticulation and assembling the human mind scientifically. This journey, in successive days between the heritage and the child culture that depends on the knowledge of mind, is, in fact, an achievement of identity.
Thank you, Your Highness, and we hope for more cultural feasts and rejoicing festivals.
Source: Al Khaleej Newspaper - Ibn Al-Deira