Sheikh Zayed Book Award Launches Rich Cultural Programme in Japan to Strengthen Knowledge Exchange

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), launched a rich cultural programme of activities, meetings, and panel discussions in Japan, as part of the wider international programme to promote the award.

The events were designed to enhance cultural and literary exchange with partners in Japan, promote Arabic literature, and support research and studies on Arab culture in other languages.

The programme follows the second edition of the conference series "Arabian Nights: A Cultural Journey across Continents and Centuries: From Abu Dhabi to Madrid, via Tokyo to London", which was organised in collaboration with the UAE Embassy in Tokyo at Keio University’s Mita Campus in Tokyo. 

The programme included a series of meetings chaired by His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC and Secretary-General of the SZBA, in the presence of HE Shihab Ahmed Al Faheem, UAE Ambassador to Japan, HE Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, and Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Naqbi, Director of the ALC’s Literary Awards Department. The programme included various cultural activities, along with meetings with prominent cultural figures, with an agenda to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between cultural institutions in Abu Dhabi and Japan.

His Excellency Shihab Al Faheem, the United Arab Emirates' Ambassador to Japan, said: "Organising the Arabian Nights conference and accompanying cultural programme reflects Abu Dhabi’s commitment to creating platforms that unite diverse communities and cultures from around the world. This series of conferences is designed to build dialogue across borders, promote tolerance, understanding, and respect. These conferences strive to promote the Arabic language, highlighting its rich literature, heritage, and cultural legacy to new audiences."

For his part, HE Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of ALC and Secretary-General of SZBA, said: "The Sheikh Zayed Book Award strives to enrich the cultural landscape and foster dialogue and cooperation among diverse cultures and peoples around the world. Organising this second instalment of the Arabian Nights conference in Japan, coupled with the series of high-profile meetings that followed, offered a platform to engage and inspire authors, thinkers, researchers, translators, and students to explore Arab culture more deeply. It also sets the stage for stronger cultural communication with Japan, building bridges of understanding and connection between our peoples."

"Japan, with its rich heritage and unique culture, has enjoyed historical relations with the UAE that extend back half a century and span various fields, especially cultural ones", HE Bin Tamim added. "These strong relations have paved the way for the close collaboration we have today, with more than 4,000 Japanese citizens living in the UAE and an array of constructive partnerships established".

The cultural programme featured prominent Japanese authors and cultural figures, alongside a series of visits. Notably, participants had the opportunity to view the Arabic manuscripts of the Daiber Collection at the University of Tokyo, visit the National Diet Library in Tokyo, and tour Keio University. Additionally, meetings were held with the Japan P.E.N. Club, the Japan Book Publishers’ Association, the Japan Association for Middle East Studies, and the Japan Foundation. These discussions aimed to explore avenues for enhancing cultural exchange and collaboration.

The programme also featured academic presentations that examined various aspects of the "Arabian Nights" story collection, highlighting its evolution into a global literary phenomenon that transcends cultural boundaries. One session was titled "The Arabian Nights and Its Potentiality as a Global Literature", while another focused on "Expanding Drift Stories and Avatars of Sindbad in non-Arabic Arab Literature". Additionally, a lecture was presented on Joseph-Charles Mardrus’ translations of “Arabian Nights”, which garnered widespread literary acclaim internationally.

A special session titled "Japanese Visualisation Works of the Arabian Nights" explored artistic interpretations of the text, while another session focused on "The Compilation of Manuscripts of the Arabian Nights in Europe". Additionally, the programme examined the "Impact of the Literary and Dramatic Works of Renowned Japanese Writer and Poet Yukio Mishima" and delved into "Reason vs. Emotion in Storytelling and Gender in The Story of the Prince and the Seven Viziers". Furthermore, a presentation addressed the complexities of cross-cultural communication in the context of translation between Japanese and Arabic.

The Tokyo edition of the "Arabian Nights" conference is the second in the series, titled "A Cultural Journey across Continents and Centuries: From Abu Dhabi to Madrid, via Tokyo to London", which also featured an event at Casa Árabe in Madrid in June 2024 and will conclude with a third edition at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in October 2024.