The inauguration of the Arabic Cultural Institute at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, represents a turning point in strengthening cultural relations between the two countries.
The institute is considered a prelude to establishing a series of institutes for Arab culture in the capitals of knowledge and creativity, with the aim of building bridges of communication and dialogue, strengthening cultural relations between Arab and Western civilisations, and demonstrating the extent of Arab contributions to scientific and creative human production.
The institute will also expand the Arabic Language Festival, sponsored by the Sharjah Book Authority in Milan, to include more diverse activities such as poetry readings, language workshops and group discussions, and will devote part of its activities to organising annual book fairs, literary events, workshops and interactive seminars between Arab and European culture.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of Sharjah Book Authority, said that the opening of the Arabic Cultural Institute at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, which was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and is the first of its kind in the world, will constitute a meeting point between Arab and Western cultures and between Arab writers and intellectuals. It targets new generations of young Italians who love the Arabic language, researchers and students of Arab culture, and writers from abroad. It will also provide an opportunity to learn the arts of Arabic calligraphy and Arab culture in Italy and to promote the name of the UAE everywhere.
Dr. Wael Farouk, Director of the Arabic Cultural Institute and Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, said in a similar statement that the institute is the result of cooperation between the university and the Sharjah Book Authority that has lasted for more than 7 years of joint work, to organise many cultural events, leading to the crowning of this cooperation with the opening of the Arabic Cultural Institute, which will represent a permanent embassy for the Sharjah Book Authority in Europe.
He explained that the institute will organise, among its activities, workshops, study classes, and a monthly meeting, in addition to the international festival that is organised every March of each year. The last festival attracted more than 60 intellectuals, writers, and academics from 19 countries around the world, noting that joining the institute will be available to all lovers of the Arabic language and those interested in its beauty.
He pointed out that the first activities of the institute are a workshop on Arabic calligraphy with the participation of 30 people to teach the art of writing in the Arabic language, in addition to organising a symposium for children’s writers where they will be presented with Arabic folk tales to represent a reference when writing for children in their upcoming publications. He explained that the university has been participating for more than 7 years in the activities of the Sharjah International Book Fair and in other cultural symposia, and it also enjoys distinguished relations and cooperation with the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah.
For his part, Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Member of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Book Authority, said that the opening of the Arabic Cultural Institute in Milan comes with a vision and an Arab thought that is different from other Arabic institutes and centres spread across Europe. It will be one of a network of institutes that will be opened in many countries in the world, seeking to improve the image of the Arab person in the West and attract lovers of the Arabic language and its culture.
He pointed out that the Sharjah Institute for Heritage receives many foreign Arabic language students at the Sharjah International Narrator Forum to prepare foreign narrators. The forum will receive students from Rome and Turin in its next edition. He also invited them to attend the Sharjah Heritage Days event, where they will see a panoramic view of Sharjah’s heritage and world heritage.
Dr. Sultan Al Amimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Writers Union, said that the opening of the institute in the ancient city of Milan represents a new beacon for spreading Arab culture, especially the Arabic language.
He added that what was seen during the opening activities from educational and religious institutions related to scientific research is a clear and great desire for the importance of communicating with the Arabic language and the existence of the institute is an addition to the enlightenment centres for Arab culture around the world. The results of this institute will appear after the graduation of the first batch of students or through research and studies related to the Arabic language and its literature.
Issa Yousef, Director of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, said that the opening of the exhibition was accompanied by a miniature exhibition that included 83 artifacts representing the time periods that the Emirate of Sharjah went through, starting from the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, the Bronze and Iron Ages, the period of the Kingdom of Mleiha, the Islamic period, the Umayyad and Abbasid eras, in addition to a group of pottery discovered in the Jubail area in Sharjah, as well as displaying the latest technologies used in the field of archaeology and introducing the cultural heritage of the Emirate of Sharjah.
