Sheikh Zayed Book Award names Abdallah Laroui "Cultural Personality of the Year"

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced Moroccan historian and scholar, Abdallah Laroui, as the Cultural Personality of the Year for the award’s eleventh session. The title honours prominent figures for their unique contributions to the advancement of Arabic culture, and for works that portray tolerance and promote peaceful coexistence. Speaking on the decision of the board of trustees and scientific committee, Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Award’s Secretary-General, said, "The choice of the prominent historian and theoretician Abdallah Laroui as Cultural Personality of the Year has been made to reflect his well-founded thought movement and cultural momentum spanning the entire Arab World. His valuable contribution to academic institutes and scientific bodies has profoundly influenced Arab political thinking and inspired numerous cultural and literary practices." Born on 7th November 1933 in the city of Azemmour in Morocco, Laroui received his preliminary and secondary studies in Rabat and moved to Paris to continue his higher education. With wide interests across intellectual, literary and artistic scopes, especially in the fields of philosophy, history, narrative arts, and cinema, Laroui’s portfolio includes numerous publications of scholarly studies, literary works and translations in a number of Moroccan, Arabic, and French journals. The Award will be presented at the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s annual ceremony to be held during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on April 30, 2017, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302607029