Books transcend and unite cultures, reminding people everywhere that literature “carries the questions of one civilisation into the heart of another,” Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi of Sharjah told the official opening ceremony of the Warsaw International Book Fair 2026 on Thursday.
The Emirate of Sharjah is Guest of Honour at the fair, which began Thursday and is ongoing through May 31. Sharjah is the first-ever Arab guest of honour.
Addressing a crowd of dignitaries and literary figures under the soaring, cabled roof of PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Sheikha Bodour said the power of translated literature proves that cultures “just need the courage to read one another with patience, with curiosity and empathy.”
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“This is why the Polish and the Arab traditions speak to one another so naturally. Both understand that a people’s sense of self can live in its poems, its stories and the world’s words it refuses to lose,” she said. “And this is precisely what the slogan of our participation names: Two civilisations, one language of letters.”
“It honours our differences,” Sheikha Bodour said. “Civilisations do not need to be the same to understand one another.”
Sheikha Bodour serves as chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority and head of the Sharjah delegation to the fair.
Polish officials praise Sharjah and written word
Among the Polish officials present was Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who as Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland is the presiding officer of lower house of parliament. Czarzasty thanked Sharjah as Guest of Honour and praised growing ties between Poland and the UAE.
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Marta Cienkowska thanked Sheikha Bodour for her remarks at the opening ceremony, saying cultural exchange remains a powerful means of fostering dialogue and understanding between peoples.
Continuing long Sharjah tradition
The Warsaw fair features more than 1,200 cultural and professional events, marking it as one of Central Europe’s leading cultural festivals.
Sharjah has for years spent great effort positioning itself as a patron of books, literature, authors and cultural exchange internationally as well as in the United Arab Emirates, an effort that Sheikha Bodour likens to a salve for a fast-paced world that can sometimes impede shared understanding.
Reading books “asks us to slow down long enough to enter another life with curiosity,” she said Thursday. “It builds empathy by allowing us to see the world even briefly through another person’s fears, hopes, memories and questions.”
The emirate’s official participation in Poland this weekend includes 28 panel discussions, four poetry evenings and three children’s workshops, held at the stadium, the University of Warsaw, and the Grochoteka Public Library.
The Sharjah National Band will deliver 18 musical performances at the Warsaw National Theatre in the center of the city.
Source: Khaleej Times