10:00am–10:45am | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
Cosmic Encyclopaedia: Building Bridges Between Nature and Philosophy
From the legacy of the House of Wisdom to cosmology as we know it today, science has always been part of a long human saga, which has been shaped by the exchange of knowledge between civilisations via translation. Progress in science has never been linear, nor has it ever been the exclusive property of any given culture.
It is a part of a long, sturdy process that started with Greek thought and led to scientific innovation in Arab and Islamic civilisation. Discoveries found their way to Europe via the Latin language after centuries of linguistic exchanges.
Islamic scientific manuscripts are bridges that keep the ancient heritage alive whilst reinterpreting it in light of the latest discoveries, observations, and experimentation. Baghdad’s House of Wisdom was a centre of cultural enlightenment where Arabic was used in many scientific fields, such as astronomy and mathematics; it quickly became a lingua franca as a result.
Scholars such as al-Farghani, Ibn al-Haytham, Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Tusi, Ibn al-Shatir, amongst others, reshaped our understanding of the motion of celestial bodies and developed sophisticated mathematical and astronomical tools.
These scholars not only transmitted Greek knowledge: they also refined it to create original tools such as astronomical tables and precise geometric models that revolutionised astronomy and mathematics.
Through translation, this knowledge reached prominent academic centres in Europe, such as Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where Nicolaus Copernicus studied.
In this historical context, discoveries such as new cosmological and astronomical models led to scientific progress that cannot be attributed to one civilisation only.
This scientific journey shows that knowledge is a shared human heritage; one that has always been shaped, and continues to be, by cultural exchanges between civilisations, translation and human experience. This heritage influences our understanding of the world as it is today.
Participants:
- Masoud Idris
- Marcin Karas
- Moderator: Mahra AlQaseer
Organiser: House of Wisdom
11:00am–11:45am | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
Libraries and Their Role in Society
In this specialised session, we will be reviewing the role of libraries, which are both institutions and places to socialise. Amongst other things, libraries contribute to cultural awareness, learning, and making knowledge accessible to all groups of society.
Participants:
- Marwa Al-Aqroubi
- Moderator: Sheikha Al-Mutairi
Organiser: Emirates Library and Information Association
12:00pm–12:45pm | Imagination Room (Sala Wyobraźni) / Exhibition Floor -1
Letters to My Little Friend
(Art Workshop for Children)
In this workshop, children will be asked to colour beautiful messages that combine free Arabic calligraphy with drawings of living creatures such as birds, fish, and animals, as well as oriental architectural and botanical motifs.
Participants:
- Nasser Nasrallah
- Rashid Al-Mulla
- Dalal Al-Jabri
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
12:00pm–12:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
Artistic and Intellectual Developments in Contemporary Emirati and Polish Literature
Both Emirati and Polish literature have seen significant artistic and intellectual changes as novelists began to analyse society through a new lens and experiment with new kinds of artistic expression to deconstruct the traditional structure of the novel.
By exploring questions of identity, memory, and modernity, their work has given rise to innovative narrative structures. What can be said about the current literary landscape in both countries?
Participants:
- Dr. Sultan Al Amimi
- Radek Rak
- Moderator: Dr. Blanka Dżugaj
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
1:00pm–1:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
What Translates, What Travels: Women Leaders on Rights, Translation and Market Access Between the UAE and Poland
Behind every book that crosses borders is a complex ecosystem. Women leaders from the UAE and Poland examine the mechanics of rights, translation and distribution that enable stories to move between the two markets.
Participants:
- Małgorzata Duda-Klag
- Joanna Maciuk
- Dr Latifa Al-Haj
- Ameera BuKadra
- Moderator: Anna Jarota
Organiser: PublisHer
2:00pm–2:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
The Art of Storytelling through Narrative Experiences from the UAE and Poland
During this meeting, a collection of vibrant, creative stories from the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Poland will be presented by a number of prominent novelists from both countries, who will be exchanging views on storytelling and talking about their own experiences as writers.
This initiative is meant to promote debate, openness and cross-cultural understanding.
Participants:
- Salha Ghabish
- Ałbena Grabowska
- Moderator: Sheikha Al-Mutairi
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
3:00pm–3:50pm | Main Stage
The Diversity of Human Experiences in Emirati and Polish Fiction
In this seminar, we will explore topics such as memory and humanism in Emirati and Polish novels. We will show how fiction draws on individual and collective memory to document social changes. We will also analyse the artistic and cultural commonalities between both literary traditions.
Participants:
- Dhaen Shaheen
- Wit Szostak
- Moderator: Dr Blanka Dżugaj
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
3:00pm–3:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
UAE Folklore
In this session, we will explore the world of folk tales in the UAE and discover how Emirati and Polish myths both share the same human values.
We will also talk about the efforts made to document oral, non-tangible heritage thanks to new technologies, which turn these ancestral tales into books. These initiatives show that storytelling is an indelible part of our identity.
Participants:
- Dr Abdulaziz Al-Musallam
- Moderator: Sheikha Al-Mutairi
Organiser: Sharjah Institute for Heritage
4:00pm–4:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
Mirrors
(Poetry Readings)
This collection of exceptional Emirati and Polish poetry readings offers shared insights from two rich poetic traditions of the East and the West, which meet in a space where language becomes a mirror of memory and feelings.
Participants:
- Kaltham Abdullah
- Joanna Mueller
- Moderator: Anna Roży
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
5:00pm–5:45pm | Sharjah Pavilion No. 1/D11
Children’s Literature in the United Arab Emirates and Poland: Between Innovation and Renewal
In this seminar, we will explore recent shifts in children’s literature in both the United Arab Emirates and Poland and see how contemporary literature reflects the concerns of new generations.
We will also study how children interact with new narrative forms in a world that is constantly changing at a rapid pace.
Participants:
- Nadia Al-Najjar
- Barbara Kosmowska
- Moderator: Jerzy Kisielewski
Organiser: Sharjah Book Authority, in cooperation with the Warsaw International Book Fair
