Will Smith at SIBF 2025: “Disconnect to reconnect”

Will Smith filled the main stage at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair and kept it simple: be brave, tell the truth in your work, and stop letting social feeds run your brain.

In a candid session titled “The Power of Storytelling,” Smith reflected on creative courage, universals that cross borders, and why a digital detox is not a cute lifestyle trend but basic hygiene. The evening also highlighted Sharjah’s growing role as a global culture hub, with HH Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi presenting Smith with her new book before he went on stage.

Courage and creative honesty

Smith set the tone with an admission: he hasn’t yet shared most of what’s in his head.

• He described feeling “not brave enough” before, and wanting to express more of his inner life.
• The exchange with HH Sheikha Bodour about “dreams and visions” pushed him to say this out loud.
• He framed courage as the driver of the next phase of his work.

He spoke plainly about creative fear and how it limits what artists share. That moment backstage, receiving Sheikha Bodour’s book and talking about vision triggered a realisation that visibility and honesty must align. For an audience of students, writers and families, the message landed: your best work starts when you own what you actually think and feel.

“Disconnect to reconnect” — the digital detox point

The room leaned in when the topic moved to social media.

• Smith compared constant scrolling to eating cake every day and expecting to stay healthy.
• He said solitude, time in nature and reading are the reset buttons.
• Even public figures are not immune to the mental “poison” of endless feeds.

His advice was practical, not performative. Treat your attention like a diet: if it’s mostly sugar, expect a crash. Time offline gives you enough quiet to think clearly and make things worth sharing.

For SIBF visitors making reading plans in the UAE, pairing this mindset with tools like a solid e-reader helps. If you’re building a habit, our guide to the best Kindle models in the UAE lays out which one fits your budget and reading style. And if you want free options, Dubai Culture’s Digital Library is stacked with thousands of Arabic and English titles.

Universal stories, local roots

Smith’s craft note was simple: find the piece of a story everyone understands.

• He listed life moments like birth, loss and illness as themes that travel without translation.
• He called the Middle East one of the few places with millennia of stories still under the global radar.
• He sees the region at a moment similar to the rise of African American storytelling.

That focus on universals is why global hits cross borders. It’s also why Sharjah’s programme matters. The UAE is actively building platforms for writers, filmmakers, and readers to meet one another. If you’re planning your day at the fair, our SIBF 2025 visitor guide, and readers to meet one another covers timings, stages and extras like the Podcast Station and workshops. The point is not only who’s on stage tonight, but the pipeline these stages create for the next decade.

Staying relevant across generations

Smith pushed back on the idea that relevance is luck.

• He said you have to do something to stay current, not wait for it.
• The “something” is choosing stories that cut across age, language and culture.
• He reads that as discipline, not vibes.

It’s an unglamorous answer, which makes it useful. Relevance is a system: pay attention to what still moves people, then work with it. At SIBF, this shows up in formats, too. From the Thriller Festival to live performances like Murder at the Majlis, the fair mixes genres that bring teens, parents and grandparents into the same room. That cross-generational overlap is exactly where Smith likes to work.

Context from Sharjah — and what’s next

The night had a local texture that mattered.

• HH Sheikha Bodour presented Smith with Let Them Know She Is Here: Searching for the Queen of Mleiha before the session.
• The talk tied back to themes in Smith’s memoir Will: vulnerability, success and authenticity.
• It capped a busy week at Expo Centre Sharjah during SIBF’s 44th edition.

If you tracked the build-up, we flagged his appearance earlier with details on timing and expectations in our preview: Will Smith to headline SIBF 2025. The larger reading ecosystem in the UAE keeps growing too, from Sharjah’s House of Wisdom book club to community projects like Dubai Culture’s Reading Box. All of this gives Smith’s message a natural home: courage in storytelling is easier when the city around you is set up for it.

FAQs

Written by

Share

Copied