In radiant Sharjah, the 44th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair concluded under the slogan “Between You and the Book,” with the participation of more than 2,300 publishing houses from 118 countries and the presentation of over 1,200 cultural and entertainment events for all ages. This was not merely the conclusion of a cultural carnival, but a renewal of an old covenant between the Emirate and books—a covenant that has made Sharjah a meeting place for writers and readers, and a harbor from which stories set sail and return broader in horizon and deeper in meaning.
Each year, Sharjah reaffirms that culture is not a luxury, but a daily necessity like water and air. Here, questions are shaped and assumptions revisited; a child discovers their first sense of wonder before a shining page; a young person finds in an unknown book a path they once thought blocked; and the seasoned reader rekindles a friendship that has never betrayed them. Between the reader and the book lies a short distance, yet it makes the difference between multiplying ignorance and illuminating knowledge.
Imagine, even for a moment, if this flood of books and knowledge began to rival the content of social media platforms—if the echoes of seminars, dialogues, and readings extended to the small screens that rarely leave us. The digital space would then become a natural extension of the exhibition halls, and the noise of superficiality would fade before content that elevates taste and refines dialogue.
From here, I renew my call to writers, thinkers, and publishing houses, and to readers who left the fair carrying a harvest or an idea: fill the platforms with this positive capital. There is no way to confront negative content except by competing with it through content that is higher, truer, and more enduring. Let this year’s edition be the starting signal, and let the book be our lasting bridge between knowledge and life—for us and for generations to come.
