No rental fees for Lebanese Publishers at book fair

Our Correspondent

Lebanese Publishing Houses participating in the Sharjah International Book Fair, SIBF 2020, are to be exempted from the pavilion rental fees as per an order from H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The exemptions amount to AED 640,000.

The decision and directives of His Highness comes in the light of the explosion in the Port of Beirut in August and is in line with Sharjah’s continuous support to Lebanon’s libraries and publishing houses.

Commenting on this, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, SBA, said that His Highness had previously ordered the exemption of Syrian and Egyptian publishers and other publishers whose countries were suffering exceptional circumstances and crises. He added that the initiative reaffirms Sharjah’s leading position as an incubator of Arab culture and a creative hub that attracts intellectuals.

The Ruler of Sharjah also directed the allocation of AED10 million to the acquisition of the latest publications issued by the publishing houses participating in the Book Fair.This comes as a continuation of his support to book publishing industries, to enrich public and governmental libraries in Sharjah with the latest intellectual and scientific publications in Arabic and other languages.

The generous gesture of the Ruler of Sharjah this year is a much-needed contribution to sustain the book publishing industry that was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.