Finland named guest of honour for the 26th edition celebrating global oral traditions under the theme ‘Tales of Friends’
SHARJAH — More than 120 international storytellers, heritage experts, and scholars from 28 countries will gather in Sharjah later this month for the 26th Sharjah International Narrator Forum, the Sharjah Institute for Heritage announced on Thursday.
The four-day cultural gathering runs from September 23 to 26, anchoring an international program designed to preserve folk memory and advance oral storytelling practices across generations.
Finland will headline this year’s forum as the guest of honour, a distinction granted in recognition of its deep oral traditions and status as custodian of one of the world’s oldest organized folk archives, including the legacy of the Finnish national epic.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and head of the forum’s supreme organizing committee, said Finland’s cultural heritage provides a model for folkloric archival research that continues to instruct heritage scholars globally.
Organizers have curated more than 60 workshops alongside academic symposia, specialized roundtables, and live performances under the central theme, “Tales of Friends.”
Aisha Al-Hosan, Director of the Arab Heritage Centre and general coordinator of the forum, confirmed that the institute will unveil 30 new academic and literary publications during the event. Speaking to local media, Al-Hosan outlined a multidisciplinary agenda bridging centuries-old spoken traditions with emerging creative technologies, including dedicated sessions examining the intersections of artificial intelligence, puppet theatre, and folklore documentation.
The forum’s central pavilion will host exhibitions, storytelling circles, and dedicated spaces for cultural cafés and government heritage entities. Programming will also feature live puppet theatre productions tailored to family audiences and students, highlighting folklore around companionship, community solidarity, and cross-border intercultural links.
The Sharjah International Narrator Forum has operated for more than two decades as one of the Arab world’s flagship platforms dedicated to the living bearers of intangible cultural heritage—traditional narrators, folk poets, and oral chroniclers.
Public admission details and complete daily session timetables are scheduled for release through the Sharjah Institute for Heritage’s official digital channels ahead of the September 23 opening.
