Sharjah International Book Fair is open: five things to know before your visit

The Sharjah International Book Fair began on Wednesday, marking one of the first literary events in the region to completely reprise an in-person format.

Taking place until November 13, the fair is being held at the Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme "there is always a right book". It is free to attend.

For almost two years, book festivals and fairs have had to take a bulk of their programming online as a way of adapting to pandemic measures and health concerns. This offered a welcome respite during periods of lockdown, and also expanded the reach of regional literary events. But there’s one thing you can’t emulate through virtual talks and gridded Zoom panel discussions: the experience of meeting some of the world’s leading writers in person, to have them sign a copy of their books.

Nobel prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah is among the literary figures participating in this year's Sharjah International Book Fair. AFP

More than 85 local and international literary figures are scheduled to take part in this year’s SIBF, including Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, Jnanpith Award-winner Amitav Ghosh, Algerian author Ahlam Mosteghanemi and The Pursuit of Happyness author Chris Gardner.

All of them are scheduled to appear in person at the event.

So if you’re planning on making your way to the Expo Centre to meet some of the authors, here are five things you need to know before your visit:

1. Download the app

To best navigate and make the most of the event, we recommend you download the SIBF smartphone app, available for iPhone and Android.

The app will give you immediate access to the fair’s programme, as well as a list of exhibitors. A search function also allows you to browse the fair’s book collection, providing detailed information on where you can find a particular title. You can also plan your itinerary and receive notifications about sessions you are interested in.

2. Find a Book Guide

Book Guides stationed around the fair will help visitors find titles that appeal to their tastes. Ruel Pableo / The National

The fair is hosting more than 1,600 publishers from around the world. To better help visitors navigate through the fair’s offerings, volunteers designated as Book Guides have been stationed around the site. With specialised knowledge of the range of titles at the fair, they can help in catering to or creating your reading list.

3. Visit the Spain pavilion

Spain is the guest of honour at this year’s fair. The country’s pavilion is hosting a range of talks and workshops with several Spanish talents, including a workshop led by Javier Gomez Santander and Diego Avalos, writers from the popular Netflix show Money Heist.

On that note, it is also worth visiting the pavilions of countries participating for the first time, including Cameroon, Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

5. Children's workshops

The book fair includes a vibrant children’s programme with more than 355 scheduled activities, from tower-building challenges to a “Crazy Science School”.

Workshops in photography, art, leaf-printing and robotics catering for different ages are also being held across the 11-day event. More information on the workshops and their times is available on the SIBF app.

5. Cookery Corner

The SIBF has always been known for its robust cooking section. After a hiatus because of the pandemic, the section is once again offering live cooking masterclasses by world-renowned chefs and restaurateurs.

Some of the celebrity chefs taking part in the SIBF’s Cookery Corner programme include MasterChef India judge Kunal Kapur, Korean Food made Simple writer and host Judy Joo, founder of Zina’s Kitchen Zina Abboud, and Malaysian celebrity chef and television host Sherson Lian.

Ways to control drones

Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.

"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.

New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.

It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.

The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.

The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.