Sharjah Book Authority bonds with European body Rimini Meeting

Sharjah Book Authority bonds with European body Rimini Meeting

Gulf Today, The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Meeting for Friendship amongst Peoples (Rimini Meeting), Italy and Europe’s leading cross-cultural entity that hosts the world’s most notable thought and enlightenment leaders, 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. For more than 40 years, the Rimini Meeting – one of Europe’s most important cultural and literary events – has been bringing 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, held on a 120,000 sq m area, attracts more than 800,000 people annually, including participation of tens of thousands of volunteers. YouTube broadcasts of its activities has 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. The Rimini Meeting has also convened American scholar and philosopher Naom Chomsky;