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