Ali Abu al-Reesh, an Emirati writer, launched his book ‘Expo 2020 Dubai, Solidarity on the Ground, a Hug in the Sky’ during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on Sunday, 29 May.
The book features Abu al-Reesh’s visits to different country pavilions at the world fair, which was organised from October 2021 to March 2022.
The writer kept a written diary of his visits to various pavilions in which he described his experience of visiting different cultures and all the knowledge that he got during his visits.
The book launch was attended by the UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura bint Mohammed al-Kaabi, who wrote the opening of Abu al-Reesh’s book.
The preface written by the minister read, “Big events are happening all around the world, but Expo 2020 Dubai stood out from the rest, for many reasons and the fact that it coincided with the 50 years celebrations of the construction of the UAE. Expo 2020 Dubai was an international platform to introduce different cultures and customs, a meeting place for civilizations. It showcased the past and present and gave us a glimpse of the future of this planet.”
“We saw many creative ideas for the betterment of humanity at the show. I’m pleased to see this world-class event is captured in this book. Journaling the event will memorialise it for generations ahead, who will be proud of the accomplishments of their ancestors and the solid foundation they inherited from them, according to the author Ali Abu al-Reesh.”
The book was published with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the United Press, as well as the UAE’s Writers Union.
During the event, President of the Board of the Writers’ Union Sultan al-Amimi stated that the book was a qualitative addition to the UAE’s literary accomplishments and will take testimony to Expo 2020 Dubai in the future, mixing a few literary styles including journal, diary, and biography with the usage of poetic language.
