Sheikh Sultan Biin Ahmed takes a tour of the forum. WAM

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC) Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, on Wednesday inaugurated the 21st edition of the Sharjah International Narrator Forum (SINF).

The event, organised annually by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, is taking place at the Expo Centre Sharjah under the slogan "Animal Stories."

The event will will run until Sept.24, 2021 (Friday).

After being received by Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director of the Districts and Villages Affairs Department and others Sheikh Sultan took atour of the Forum where he was briefed on the creative scene of living human treasures and listened to a presentation on the SINF, its journey over the past 21 years, its achievements, and its role in consolidating and strengthening the position of narrators in society.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed also met with the guests and participants and discussed the importance of continuing the preservation of narrators as living human treasures who carry within them the spirit of all the stories, tales, dreams and hopes which inspire knowledge, and serve as the intellectual and cultural supplement that humanity needs in every place and at all times.

The launch included a welcome speech and an overview of the SINF, national peace and the Holy Quran, a holographic presentation for the slogan of SINF, and a video of the Forum’s song.

Sheikh Sultan also honoured the forum's personality of this year and a group of narrators in addition to the young narrator.

The Republic of Sudan will be country-in-focus in this year’s edition of the forum and will be represented by Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rahim Nasr, the personality of the year, in recognition of his contributions to Arab cultural heritage.

Tunisian storyteller Abdelaziz Laroui will also be honoured as a legal personality in celebration of his rich storytelling legacy.

The new session of the forum includes seminars, lectures and sessions that review many important approaches to animal stories, with the participation of a group of experts, researchers and writers from more than 38 countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Senegal, Kenya, Comoros, India, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Bolivia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Dominican Republic, Finland, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada and Romania.

Others present at the event were Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC); Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Forum; Salem Yousef Al Qasir, Chairman of the Labour Standards Development Authority in Sharjah; and Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council (SSC); as well as a number of directors and officials of government entities and representatives of cultural organisations.