UAE: Joint letter on nomination for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award
Also available in: Arabic
Dr Saeed El-Masry
Dear winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award,
We, the undersigned organisations, write to urge you to decline the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, and withdraw from the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair which will be held from 23 to 29 May 2021. As you are aware, on 2 May, prominent German philosopher Juergen Habermas stated he would not accept the Award of the “Cultural Personality of the Year 2021” as a result of the “close connection of the institution (the Department of Culture and Tourism), which awards these prizes in Abu Dhabi, with the existing political system.”