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Said Yaktine named Cultural Personality of the Year at Sharjah book fair

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In Sharjah, Said Yaktine calls for passing on popular culture

Reports published on 6 November 2026 describe a discussion with Moroccan critic Said Yaktine at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Named the edition’s Cultural Personality of the Year, he argues for preserving oral traditions and local memory.

Sharjah Book Fair in 2014.
Sharjah Book Fair, November 2014. Archive; not the 2026 discussion. Mostafa Meraji / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ; resized. — Mostafa Meraji / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ; 6 novembre 2014, redimensionnement uniquement.

In the session moderated by poet Shaikha Al Mutairi, Yaktine recalls the storytellers and popular neighbourhoods that shaped his childhood in Morocco. He sees those practices as contributors to cultural identity.

He urges writers to engage with world literature while asking questions rooted in their own societies. His comments on urbanisation and digital habits are cultural analysis, rather than an announcement of public policy.

Sources 2

Said Yaktine named Cultural Personality of the Year at Sharjah book fair

The Sharjah Book Authority has named Moroccan scholar Said Yaktine Cultural Personality of the Year for the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair, according to the announcement reported on 27 October 2026.

Books, April 2024. Generic literary illustration; it does not depict the fair or Said Yaktine’s works. Tojimatova Durdonaxon, CC0.
Books, April 2024. Generic literary illustration; it does not depict the fair or Said Yaktine’s works. Tojimatova Durdonaxon, CC0. — Tojimatova Durdonaxon / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ — 9 avril 2024, sans modification.

The honour recognises more than four decades of work on Arabic narrative studies and literary criticism. The organiser highlights his research on the modern novel, Arab storytelling heritage and changes associated with digital literature.

The designation recognises a research career. It is not an award for a single book or an announcement of a new publication.

Sources 2

Timeline — Said Yaktine named Cultural Personality of the Year at Sharjah book fair · Moojaz