The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Meeting for Friendship amongst Peoples (Rimini Meeting) to strengthen and create new channels of communication between Emirati, Arab and European cultures and launch bilateral initiatives and events to further advance literature, arts and the creative industries, media reports said/
Rimini Meeting is Italy and Europe’s leading cross-cultural entity that hosts the world’s most notable thought and enlightenment leaders and has remained one of Europe’s most important cultural and literary events for more than 40 years.
It brings together presidents, world leaders, thinkers, scholars, artists, and intellectuals of every discipline and from across the world of culture, to exchange ideas and open dialogues for mutual enrichment.
The annual gathering is held on 120,000 sq m area and attracts more than 800,000 people annually, which includes the participation of tens of thousands of volunteers. YouTube broadcasts of its activities have reached over 2.5 million viewers.
Prominent world personalities hosted at Rimini Meeting over the years include Pope Francis; Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN Secretary-General; Helmut Kohl, former Chancellor of Germany; and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said official sources.
The MoU was signed by Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, and Emmanuele Forlani, Managing Director of Rimini Meeting, in the presence of Bernhard Scholz, President of Rimini Meeting, the reports said.
The MoU stipulates the terms for launching mutual initiatives to promote human values, as well as investing in arts, literature and knowledge to reinforce cross-cultural communication between the UAE, Italy and Europe, in addition to promoting the cultural landscape and the authors and artists in both countries.
Ahmed Al Ameri said: “SBA believes that culture is the strongest tool to build bridges between the world’s peoples and culture and is committed to partnering with leading cultural entities and organizations to strengthen cultural cooperation and build long-term relations with countries worldwide.”
Al Ameri was quoted by official sources as saying that the emirate is eager to welcome Italian cultural entities, publishers and creative authors to the numerous international events organized by SBA.
Al Ameri emphasized that the objectives of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) align with those of the Rimini Meeting in promoting mutual understanding and building bridges between the world’s countries and civilizations.
Scholz thanked the SBA for its efforts in enriching the global cultural movement and pointed out that the agreement between the two parties offered a perfect example of bilateral relations to the world which is the outcome of SBA’s continuous initiatives in this regard, said reports.
He said that Italians are aware of the historical depth and contemporary impact of Arab culture and pointed out that the emirate’s cultural project sheds light on the Arab cultural wealth, and enriches other cultures too, through joint initiatives with vibrant entities in the region and across the world.
An SBA delegation had previously met with the Rimini Meeting management during a cultural tour across various Italian cities in September to explore cultural collaboration and forge closer ties with Europe’s foremost cultural entities.