DCT Abu Dhabi attends Moscow International Book Fair

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has recently concluded its successful participation at the Moscow International Book Fair (MIBF), which took place from 4-8 September in the Russian capital.

As Russia has been chosen as the Guest of Honour for the 30^th edition of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair next year, DCT Abu Dhabi used its participation at MIBF to meet with Russian publishers and authors to further relations and cooperation between the two countries.

DCT Abu Dhabi’s involvement in MIBF also included its Kalima Reading Club, which hosted a number of seminars and cultural activities, including the launch of the Russian edition of the book Words of a Leader - Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The event at the DCT Abu Dhabi pavilion was attended by Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Acting Executive Director of the National Library Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, Andrey Gelmiza, Director General of Moscow International Book Fair and a number of Russian publishers.

“DCT Abu Dhabi puts great emphasis on participating in international cultural activities, particularly book fairs, as these events act as bridges for cultural exchange between different cultures,” said Al Ali.

“DCT Abu Dhabi had a strong presence at this year’s Moscow International Book Fair through its diverse range of activities on offer, which reflects the rapid literary development of the UAE. Our participation has also contributed to opening new cooperation possibilities with Russia in regards to culture and art.

“As Russia is the Guest of Honour at the next Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, we used our participation at MIBF to strengthen ties and exchange expertise, which will lead to further cooperation at our book fair. So, we are really look forward to welcoming key figures in the Russian publishing industry to Abu Dhabi in 2020.”

Kalima Reading Club – which is run by DCT Abu Dhabi to discuss books translated into Arabic by the Kalima translation project and organise programmes to promote reading – also signed a number of intellectual property rights agreements for translating books from Russian into Arabic, as well as a number of other agreements with prestigious Russian publishing houses.

Another highlight was a seminar by the Kalima Reading Club to honour the legacy of the late Egyptian translator Abu Bakr Youssef. The seminar focused his achievements in the field of translating Russian into Arabic, which included works by some of the greatest Russian language authors such as Anton Chekhov, Aleksandr Kuprin and Chinghiz Aitmatov.

Kalima Reading Club held a seminar in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency, which covered translating works related to space exploration and the best ways to reflect the nuances of the terms, words and phrases used within the sector. High profile speakers included Matthew Elliot, Copyright Senior Specialist at the Publishing Department, DCT Abu Dhabi; Natalia Ykhvald, Executive Director at the Russian publishing house KompasGuide; Igor Grejok, PR officer at KompasGuide, as well as Abdullah Majid Al Ali. The session was moderated by Mohammed Hassan Al Marzouqi of DCT Abu Dhabi.

The Kalima Reading Club also organised a number of debates at DCT Abu Dhabi’s pavilion to discuss the books that have been translated by Kalima along with some of the most famous translations of Russian literature, in cooperation with the Russian Literature Salon.

DCT Abu Dhabi’s participation in MIBF is part of the organisation’s wider efforts to highlight the extensive body of translated Russian literature, to showcase the great work being undertaken within the translation industry and to build cultural relations between the UAE and Russia

DCT Abu Dhabi’s team discussed programmes related to Russia’s participation in ADIBF next year, during which a host of Russian writers, authors and publishers will be actively involved. The participants will highlight Russian literature, sign agreements in regards to selling publishing rights to Arab publishers and present a number of Russian musical and artistic activities. The team also promoted the programmes and activities that will accompany ADIBF 2020, such as the Spotlight on Rights programme, which received considerable attention from Russian publishers.

The DCT Abu Dhabi pavilion also attracted Russian publishers who visited to learn more about major projects such as the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Kalima project. A working meeting sponsored by ADIBF was held for a number of Russian and Arab publishers to exchange expertise and work on joint publishing projects, with agreements set to be signed during ADIBF 2020.