STILL RELEVANT: ARABIC BOOKS AT THE SHARJAH

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000437 SIPDIS FOR NEA/PPD (CBOURGEOIS, JDAVIES); IIP/G/NEA; IIP/T/CP; IIP/G/IR; RBO CAIRO, AMMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OIIP SCUL TC SUBJECT: STILL RELEVANT: ARABIC BOOKS AT THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR ¶1. SUMMARY: THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE IN ABU DHABI RECENTLY PARTICIPATED IN THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR, ONE OF POST'S MAJOR ANNUAL CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. PAO DISPLAYED AND SOLD MORE THAN 300 TITLES TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS, OFFICIALS, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM A WIDE RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. OUR PARTICIPATION REAFFIRMED THE USEFULNESS OF RBO ARABIC BOOKS AS AN EFFECTIVE OUTREACH TOOL AND EXEMPLIFIED OUR LONG-TERM CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE UAE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE IN ABU DHABI PARTICIPATED IN THE TWENTY-FIRST SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR, FROM DECEMBER 30, 2002, TO JANUARY 9, 2003. THE SHARJAH BOOK FAIR REPRESENTS A MAJOR REGIONAL CULTURAL EVENT THAT IS WIDELY ATTENDED BY SCHOLARS, ACADEMICS, AND PUBLISHERS FROM THE UAE, GCC, AND OTHER MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES. THE U.S. EMBASSY BOOTH EXHIBITED MORE THAN 300 TITLES OF RBO BOOKS, ENGLISH TEACHING MATERIALS, AND IIP MATERIALS. THE RULER OF SHARJAH, DR. SHEIKH SULTAN BIN MUHAMMAD AL-QASSIMI, OFFICIALLY OPENED THE FAIR AND SPENT TIME AT THE U.S. BOOTH DISCUSSING U.S. POLITICS AND POST'S MATERIALS WITH AMBASSADOR MARCELLE WAHBA, PAO KATHERINE VAN DE VATE, AND OTHER EMBASSY STAFF. MAJOR PURCHASERS INCLUDED THE SHARJAH CULTURAL DEPARTMENT, A VARIETY OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS, PUBLIC LIBRARIES, AND SHARJAH UNIVERSITY. HOWEVER, MORE THAN 150,000 PEOPLE, 40,000 OF THEM STUDENTS, ATTENDED THE BOOK FAIR. ¶3. THIS PROGRAM BUILDS ON POST'S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE UAE. WHILE OVERSHADOWED BY THE INCREASED MOBILIZATION OF U.S. MILITARY AGAINST IRAQ, POST'S PARTICIPATION FOSTERED MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BY GIVING VISITORS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE CURRENT TITLES ON U.S. CULTURE, POLITICS, AND GOVERNMENT IN ARABIC. THIS PROGRAM FURTHER SUPPORTED MPP THEMES "DEMOCRACY AND U.S. SOCIETY" AND "MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING." PARTICIPATION IN THE SHARJAH BOOK FAIR ALSO ALLOWED US TO PRESENT U.S. CULTURE AND VALUES TO A WIDE RANGE OF INTELLECTUALS, MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA, AND STUDENTS, INCLUDING BOTH UAE NATIONALS AND EXPATRIATE ARABS. ¶4. RESULT/IMPACT: EXCELLENT. IN SPITE OF THE INTENSE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CURRENT MOBILIZATION OF U.S. TROOPS IN THE REGION, POST SUCCEEDED IN OBTAINING MAXIMUM EXPOSURE FOR IIP MATERIALS AND TRANSLATED AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS, SELLING MORE THAN 500 BOOKS. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE VISITED THE BOOTH, INCLUDING SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, SHEIKHS, INTELLECTUALS, AND FACULTY MEMBERS FROM SEVERAL UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. DUBAI TV CARRIED A 5-MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR MARCELLE WAHBA WHO COMMENTED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF POST'S PARTICIPATION AND THE RBO PROGRAM. DURING THE INTERVIEW, AMBASSADOR WAHBA HIGHLIGHTED A RANGE OF IMPORTANT BOOKS, INCLUDING MANY NEW TITLES. WAHBA