The Philippines will attend the United Arab Emirates Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) for the first time, which will feature Filipino-authored books from November 2 to 13, 2022. Children’s books, art books, fiction, nonfiction, and other works will highlight the country’s diverse cultural and historical heritage.
After seven years of participating in European rights trading fairs, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) is shifting its focus to a Middle East market expansion strategy through outreach to migrant Filipino communities worldwide.
Earlier this year, Aquino-Tugade met with the Sharjah Book Authority and the Emirates Literature Festival to discuss conference participation, author engagements, book distribution, and rights trade. Tugade hopes to promote Philippine books as a high-demand export item by stocking stores across the region with graphic novels, children’s books, cookbooks, and contemporary fiction.
The NBDB is committed to promoting Philippine heritage and maximizing cultural exports to benefit the Philippine economy, in addition to making Filipino books more accessible to Middle Eastern kababayans.