Visitors have fun interacting with members of the Cherry Family –
spring, summer, autumn and winter – roaming in the SIBF 2024 venue
“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” wrote English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in his poem “Ode to the West Wind”. But where can we see winter, spring, summer and autumn together? Come to the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which is happening at Expo Centre Sharjah, to witness the roaming show of The Cherry Trees and be awed by the four seasons walking around the halls and lobbies with children and adults milling around them.
The four performers are in costumes resembling the bark of trees with flowers and leaves on them, save for winter which looks old and dry: wearing spectacles and bereft of any leaves, it huddles forward weary and cold. Autumn has its classic peach hues with yellowing leaves and orange mushrooms for effect. Summer is bright with flowers and fruits while spring is full of green leaves. Walking on stilts, the performers shuffle forward on their thick trunks or stop to take a photograph with excited children. The walkers notice a shy onlooker with their huge eyes and beckon them to come near or wave at them. Equipped with a high-quality sound system, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter occasionally release sounds characterising each season.
The troupe reveals a secret – each of the seasons has its own guardian and they are the members of the Cherry Family. It is thanks to them that every year nature experiences its life cycle — blooming flowers, ripening fruits and animals emerging from their winter slumber, and so on.
So it is not just books and workshops at SIBF 2024; children and adults familiarise themselves with nature and the planet or get to know cultures better through dance performances and cookery shows.
SIBF 2024, which will run until November 17, has opened its doors to over 2,520 publishers from 112 countries, and is celebrating Morocco as the Guest of Honour. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, is themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, and has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike.