The 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will run from 28 March – 2 April 2012

The 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from the 28 March – 2 April 2012. ADIBF is modelled on international best practice and attracts world class talent each year. ADIBF seamlessly combines business-to-business opportunities for the publishing industry with a rich and diverse cultural consumer programme.
ADIBF is pleased to have United Kingdom as the Country of Focus for 2012 showcasing the finest in British literature, culture and the publishing sector.


Arabic Poetry Encyclopedia To Debut At Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2012

BEST OF ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS TO GATHER AT ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

As part of the programme, the best of Arab and international authors will gather in Abu Dhabi to hold a diverse and rich mix of panels, talks, debates and book signing sessions. Alongside the stimulating discussions on literature, the book fair will also mark the debut of the Arabic Poetry Encyclopedia.

The Arabic Poetry Encyclopedia, a comprehensive reference to Arabic poetry, its methods of use and a glimpse into some of the most important sources of Arab poetry to date. The session titled ‘A Debut of the Poetry Encyclopedia’ will be held on Wednesday, 28th of March with Zuhair Ahmed Zaza speaking on this occasion.

Jumaa al Qubaisi Director of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair said: “The Cultural Programme sits at the heart of the fair. It is as diverse and international as the population of the UAE and will give all booklovers a reason to attend the show. Our focus this year is to increase interaction between the authors and visitors. To enable this we have integrated many one-to-one sessions and discussions within the programme.”

He further added: “To ensure everyone in the family has something to look for at the fair, we have incorporated book reading, writing workshop and even cooking sessions within the programme.”

Discussions at the fair will cover books on Islamic art, sociology, travel, cinema and camels; and presentations of an Atlas, graphic novels, theater plays, cook books, science books, poetry collections and plenty of children’s literature will be featured. Along with writing workshops, poetry recitals and open mic sessions visitors will also have the opportunity to sample delicacies and take a front seat at the cooking demonstrations at the Show Kitchen.

Dedicated venues will be built at the fair to accommodate the numerous vibrant activities under the Cultural Programme.

Discussion Sofa
The Discussion Sofa will be the place to meet recipients of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. It is also feature panel discussions with authors, academics, journalists, essayists and political analysts.
The Tent
New at the Book Fair this year, The Tent is inspired by the traditional majlis, but in a less formal setup. Here the members of the public meet authors, hear poetry recitals and to participate in writing workshops and open mic sessions. This is also the place for the younger audience to enjoy story telling.

Signatures and Authors’ Corner
This corner will host the book-signing sessions. The Signatures and Authors’ Corner is also open to authors not featured in the Cultural Programme but wishing to sign copies of their books.

Show Kitchen
For the visitors with a flair for cooking, the Show Kitchen will feature cooking demonstrations by chefs and amateur cooks. Emirati chefs Ali Salem and Khulood Atiq will conjure up local cuisines and enthrall the palettes. Celebrity chefs such as Ariana Bundy, , Sally Butcher, Catherine Gilbert, Dubai-based Suzanne Husseini and Bhavna Mishra will be at hand to cook delightful dishes for the audience.



Abu Dhabi International Book Fair integrates education and learning for children with special needs

In a move aimed at harnessing young talent, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2012 will feature an enriched programme in the Creativity Corner. The Creativity Corner is an area designed for the young visitors between the ages, six to twelve years old.
This year the Creativity Corner will encompass a dedicated component devoted to children with special needs. As part of this initiative, special workshops will be organised throughout the period of the fair with an on-site a sign language interpreter at the workshops to enable interaction for children with special needs.

The move is aimed at reducing the social stigma by involving children with hearing and speech impairments to interact with other children. This will provide them with special educational support and offer an opportunity to learn and excel in a public domain alongside their peers.

To facilitate this program, ADIBF has joined hands with Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs, The Blind Printing Press, Abu Dhabi Centre for Autism and Abu Dhabi Rehab & Care for Special Needs People.

The Creativity Corner is an integral part of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and aims at providing the young visitors means to promote their learning process. Activities at the corner will touch on all the aspects of education from reading, illustration to writing.

The corner is divided into specific sections dedicated for mathematics, science, computers, artistic expression, reading, traffic awareness and child & education counselling. Other partners include Imperial College Diabetes London Center, Traffic & Patrols Directorate, Sylvan Learning Center, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, among others.



The Professional Programme

The Professional Programme has been designed to bring together the best in business panels, networking and seminars, with the key aim to assess the current state of the book publishing industry and digital content in the Arab region.

The Professional Programme will be touching on the vital topics such as digital and design. Broad elements that form the programme comprise an Illustration corner, the eZone & Service Provider area and The Education Chapter.

The Professional Programme within the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has been designed to provide the Arab publishing industry a platform to discuss business issues and opportunities. It will focus on depth in content, quality of speakers and interaction. 2012 Abu Dhabi International book fair is lot more multifaceted and engaging than ever before. It will throw up enormous diversity of ideas arising from the combination of enterprising spirit and thought process- especially with the change in trends and emphasis on professionalizing the publishing industry in the region.

The dedicated Professional Programme will host an intricate calendar of events. Among the most notably are – a roundtable discussion on Digital Publishing. The session will discuss the state of digital publishing in the Arab region and where is it headed. The prominent panel comprises of Shadi Hasan, Managing Director of Rufoof.com and Flagship.co; Mohamed Al Baghdadi, CEO of Al Manhal Publishers, Jordan; Sana Ghenima, CEO of Sanabil Med, Tunisia; Salah Chebaro, CEO of Neelwafurat.com/nwf.com; Octavio Kulesz, Director of Teseo; Alexander McNabb, Co-Founder of Spot On PR; Dr. Panayiotis Paschalakis, President of Digibooks4all and Patrick Beyrouti, Senior Business Development Manager for Middle-East at Arab Business Machine, Authorised distributor of Apple.

A key session must for the Arab publishing and digital industry will be on “Making Arabic eBooks’. The session will focus on how to create ePubs and the technology behind them. The list of speakers includes Samer Al Sayyah, Senior Developer at Flagship Pro, Dominique Roux, Presses Universitaries de Caen and Emmanuelle Corne, Publisher at les Editions de la Maison des Sciences de L’Homme, France.

Another interesting session will be on understanding the key differences between eBooks and Tablets. The session on “eBooks vs. Tablet books will be led by Shadi Hasan, Managing director of Rufoof.com & Flagship.co.

Panels will also focus on Creating Educating content in the fields of science and non-fiction, eBooks vs. tablet books: the key differences and where to start and what to expect, The Rise of the Image: Why comics and graphic novels are increasing in popularity and more.

The popular Illustrators’ Corner will return in its second year hosting several talented individuals and agencies, who bring books to life with their artistic works. The eZone & Service Providers’ area will include different presentations on the technical side of digital publishing. And The Education Chapter will offer access to market presentations from speakers in the Ministries of Education and Higher Education in the region

The annual book fair also offers a range of cultural activities that includes lectures, literary and intellectual events targeting people from all age groups, movie screenings and concerts.



UK Country Focus at the 2012 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom have relished a long standing historical relationship by virtue of culture, bi-lateral exchanges and trade. The United Kingdom with its rich history has played a critical role in influencing international cultural tastes – from a century’s worth of wealth in literature, great educational institutions to art and museums. Hence it comes as no surprise that the spotlight will be on the United Kingdom as the Country of Focus at the 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in 2012. The six-day leading literary and professional event will run from 28 March – 2 April at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the most modern exhibition centre in the world.

Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) made this official announcement at the 63rd Frankfurt Book Fair in which ADACH and Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) participated. ADIBF attended the book fair offering to network with the international and Arab attendees as well as offering seminars on the ‘Arab Book Industry’ targeted towards international academic and educational publishers.

ADIBF has worked very closely with The Publishers Association in the UK and the British Council and is looking forward to collaborating over the coming five months in putting together the most professional as well as rich cultural programme which will offer forums for debates as well as immense networking and B2B opportunities for the UK publishers as well as to the fair visitors.

H.E. Jumaa Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General in ADACH for the National Library and Director of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair said on this occasion; “We are pleased that UK will be the Country of Focus at the 22nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and will be showcasing its rich literature and well established expertise in the publishing sector. We are honored to welcome the UK publishers and trade visitors to an environment mutually conducive for networking and sharing of best practices between the Arab and UK book industry. ADACH attaches immense importance to the publishing sector and the role it plays in the enhancement of the quality of literature for both readers and publishers alike. We aim to encourage the publishing industry in a way in which all involved can have an open-minded approach towards advancement in keeping with the latest developments”.

Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association said, “We are delighted that the UK has accepted the invitation to be Guest of Honour at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. We have had a regular presence at the Book Fair in recent years and this is a significant step in cultivating the relationships between the UK and the Arab world. The UAE in particular presents the UK publishing sector with great opportunities and we look forward to forging stronger links with this sector at the book fair and beyond.”

Susie Nicklin, Director of Literature said, “In a year when all eyes have been on the Arab World and there have been fewer literary gatherings there than usual, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair offers British and Arab writers a platform to meet and talk. We will showcase established authors and emerging talent as well as offering skills development workshops for students and practitioners. These activities will forge long lasting cultural links between United Arab Emirates and the UK.”

The ADIBF organisers are looking forward to attracting some of the UK’s leading cultural and literary figures, who through intellectual debate, educational activities and public speaking events will showcase what UK culture represents today across the publishing industry, art and life. This will result in bringing together a splendid 2012 book fair for the local residents and international visitors alike.

Publishing is one of the UK’s largest creative industries and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the UK’s largest export markets.