Sharjah - 21 February 2012 - Maraya Art Centre, an initiative of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), yesterday launched a new cultural project, called the "Book Shelter", under the sponsorship of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du).

The project is dedicated to reviving the culture of used books and fostering a love for reading in the UAE.its aim is to embrace old and used books donated by their owners to The Book Shelter where they will be showcased at the project's library.

The launch ceremony was attended by HE Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority "Shurooq", Ms Noura Al Noman, Director of the Executive Office of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher BInt Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of HH Ruler of Sharjah Mr. Ahmed Al Qaseer, Shurooq's Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Hazim Sawaf, Shurooq's Director of Marketing and Communications, representatives from du, and a number of intellectuals and book lovers.

HE Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi praised the idea of the project and the efforts made to turn it to reality. She highly appreciated the eagerness of UAE young women to contributing to developing and supporting the cultural growth in the country.  

HE expressed her full support to this leading cultural project and donated a collection of her personal books for the "Book Shelter" project. She urged corporate and individuals to support the project and cooperate with the organizers to achieve the desired results.

On this occasion, Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Centre Curator said: "The Book Shelter is a UAE's pioneering cultural project launched by Maraya Art Centre with the aim of saving unwanted and old books. The project aims to encourage the love of reading and by asking the community to donate books, we are hoping to create awareness and wider community participation".

Moscatello explained the overall project aims to promote a reading culture among Emirati community members and raise awareness about the importance of the book and at the same time create a sustainable culture of reading through recycling used books.

He explained that the idea was introduced by two Emirati women who share a love for books and sought to recycle used books and encourage reading among community members. "Maryam Al Khayat and Sheikha Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi founded the project with the aim of redistributing the books among members of society and spreading the love of reading. We have adopted the idea and turned it into reality in collaboration with du", he said.

Moscatello pointed out that the project will offer a variety of books written in various languages for free to everyone and that each person will be entitled to four books a month only. The project's management will receive book donations at Maraya Art Centre, but will not receive magazines and books that violate the teachings of true Islam.

He hailed du for sponsoring and supporting the project and thanked the company's management for its outstanding role in supporting community initiatives that benefit everyone.

On this occasion, Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du, said: "The concept of the initiative lies in donating books of various types to The Book Shelter in Maraya Art Centre to recycle them, thus helping to promote cultural awareness amongst the community and enhancing the spirit of social responsibility,"

She emphasized that The Book Shelter project will help in firmly establishing the culture of reading in the UAE by making books accessible to everyone, including school students and kids.

Maraya Art Centre was officially launched in March 2010 as one of the UAE's most spectacular venues for contemporary visual arts. The Centre is set up over 1500 square meters of immaculate gallery space located in the heart of UAE's cultural capital. The three-storey art centre is a stage for creative experimentation and a testament to the region's extraordinary artistic genius, hosting a panorama of the region's finest compositions.

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© Press Release 2012