Sharjah 24: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the seventeenth session of the Sharjah Narrative Forum kicked off, Wednesday, at the Sharjah Hall in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, organised by Sharjah Department of Culture under the title “The Sudanese Short Story: Issues and Visions".

Sharjah Narrative Forum includes five main themes of critical analysis, whereas more than 70 novelists and writers will hold discussions, over the two days. 

The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture in Sharjah, His Excellency Hamad Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Sudan, Al Rashid Saeed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information in Sudan, Faisal Mohamed Saleh, Advisor to the Cabinet, and Mohamed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department in The Department of Culture, along with a large number of Sudanese and Arab novelists and critics, and Sudanese and Arab media representatives to cover the event.

Al Owais, in his speech, emphasised the continuation of holding fraternal meetings with Sudan through various cultural activities.

Al Owais also referred to the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, aiming to reolcate the activities of the forum from Sharjah to all Arab countries.

Al Owais expressed extended his thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Information in Sudan, and conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah to the attendees. 

For his part, Al Rasheed Saeed expressed his thanks to Sharjah for the pioneering role played in supporting culture.

The Forum was accompanied by the exhibition "Quotes" showcasing some of the short story writers in Sudan, in addition to the exhibition of publications and magazines of the Department of Culture in Sharjah.