Here at Time Out, we unshakeable believe in the written word; printed, tangible and none of that ebook nonsense thank you very much. We love the smell of new books, the feel of paper and even the sound pages make when you flip them – it’s a bit creepy really. So you can imagine why we love the Abu Dhabi International Book fair; one massive exhibition space packed with books and more books – it makes us feel like kids in a candy store. This will be the 22nd time they’ve held it, and they’ve got exceedingly good at it.
It’s not just about books though, and dare we say that the books aren’t even the best bit. The Abu Dhabi International Book fair is packed with conferences, lectures, workshops and many initiatives created to entertain, educate and improve the publishing and academic sectors in Abu Dhabi. We’ve gone ahead and thoughtfully picked out a few highlights that you might enjoy.
Most events are free to enter. The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will be held at ADNEC from March 28 – April 2. Events start at 9am everyday (4pm on Friday) and last until 10pm. For more information call 02 657 6180, write to info@adbookfair.com or visit www.adbookfair.com.
For the literati
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2012 is chock-full of the best in Arab and international literature. The event’s cultural programme will offer a diverse mix of workshops, panels and debates, and has an impressive line-up of authors scheduled. Here are a few that we think you need to see.
Amir & Khalil
Zahra’s Paradise is a graphic novel that was translated into 12 languages before it was even published. It focuses on the aftermath of the rigged presidential elections in Iran in 2009, and was put together by Amir (Iran-born journalist, activist and documentary filmmaker based in California) and Khalil (Paris-born political cartoonist). A forum with Amir and Khalil entitiled ‘How to Understand our World through Graphic Novels’ will be hosted by Özge Calafato and promises to be incredibly stimulating. The event is followed by a book signing.
Venue: Discussion Sofa. March 31, 7.15-8.45pm.
Marina Lewycka
British novelist Marina Lewycka’s debut novel A Short History of Tractors has sold more than a million copies in the UK alone and won the 2005 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing at the Hay literary festival, the 2005/6 Waverton Good Read Award and the 2005 Saga Award for Wit. Her second novel, Two Caravans was shortlisted for the 2008 Orwell Prize for Political Writing. Her third novel, We Are All Made of Glue, was released in July 2009. Marina comes to the UAE courtesy of the British Council, so head down for a chance to meet her.
Venue: The Tent. March 28, 4.15-5.15pm.
Ibrahim Al Koni & Rachid Boudjedra
Born in the south Libyan desert, Ibrahim Al Koni spent his childhood as a member of a tribe of Tuareg, schooled in the ancient oasis town he went on to study philosophy and literature at the Maxim Gorky Institute in Moscow. He’s now got over 60 titles to his name, including Anubis: A Desert Novel, Gold Dust, The Puppet and The Seven Veils of Seth. Rachid Boudjedra, an Algerian poet, novelist, playwright and educator, grew up in Constantine and Tunis, and took part in the Algerian independence movement. He studied philosophy in Algiers and Paris, and taught for a while in Algeria, France and Morocco. He is a prolific writer and was hailed as the leader of a new movement of experimental fiction. The Abu Dhabi Book Fair has put the two in a room together and invites you to watch. The discussion is entitled ‘Arabic Fiction in a Changing World.’
Venue: Discussion Sofa. March 30, 8.15-9pm
A dash of education
For 2012, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is giving the already rich fair a new educational twist. The education session targets teachers specifically, and representatives from various academic and educational publishing houses will be available for teachers to meet and debate with. Teachers will be encouraged to share their views and opinions on the importance of different books in their classes and will get the chance to have a sneak peak of the new, upcoming material.
Venue: ADNEC Capital Suite. March 29, 11am
For Kids
The Creativity Corner is a space designed for kids between the ages of six and 12. The corner is chopped into several interesting segments including a reading corner, artistic expression corner, a science corner and a traffic awareness corner. Special needs children are, of course, catered to as well, and the Creativity Corner will include a sign language interpreter so that deaf and mute visitors can enjoy the workshops as much as everyone else. Here are a few events that we think your kids shouldn’t miss.
Professional workshops
Held every day except Fridays at 9.30am, the Professional Workshops are a series of tutorials that teach your kids a different craft every day. Children will learn to create badges, draw on candles, make paper boxes, make bracelets and necklaces and even learn how to recycle. All these workshops come courtesy of the Abu Dhabi Rehab and Care Centre for Special Needs People, who take care of some 300 deaf, blind and physically and mentally impaired students.
Venue: Creativity Corner. March 28-29, March 31-April 2, 9.30-10am.
Traffic awareness workshops
This year, the Traffic & Patrols Directorate of Abu Dhabi seeks to increase traffic safety by raising awareness across all segments of society, including kids. Through lectures, visual aids and multiple competitions, the Directorate hopes to help kids become safer future drivers.
Venue: Creativity Corner. March 28-29, March 31-April 2, 8-8.30pm.
The show kitchen
Yes, they’ve thrown in the kitchen sink. The ADIBF will include several live cooking sessions where people can meet up with their favourite regional and international chefs and pick up some tricks of the trade. These sessions are set in a separate area called the Show Kitchen, and even include several food education sessions for children. For the full schedule head to http://bit.ly/z8Aald
