Day: May 20, 2021

SHARJAH, For the first time in its 12-year history, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival has expanded the scope of its cultural activities beyond the main venue at Expo Centre Sharjah, to facilitate residents in other emirates and the eastern coast cities of Sharjah to gain access to some of the wholesome and varied selection of programmes curated for the 2021 edition.

The 11-day cultural extravaganza will also enable a wider audience to experience the very best of literary and cultural discussions as an elite group of writers, artists, and other experts will participate in on-ground and virtual sessions which began yesterday and will conclude on 29th May, 2021.

Held under the theme, “For Your Imagination”, the festival’s main activities will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah with a select choice of programming now offered in the emirates of Dubai, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah, in addition to the cities of Kalba and Dibba Al Hisn on the eastern coast of Sharjah.

From meetings with the authors to stimulating discussions and debates touching upon several genres of literature, the 2021 edition of SCRF will address a variety of themes that nurture the imagination and inspire creativity amongst children and youth of all ages.

Visitors at Expo Centre Sharjah can look forward to learning from Egyptian artist, Ahmed Ameen, on effective ways to develop and enhance comic writing skills and create distinguished content for children. Dinara Mirtalipova, a self-taught illustrator and designer from Uzbekistan, and Eltayeb Adib, will helm a discussion on “The Power of Folklore” to offer insights into how this creative field inspires and influences writing and the arts.

In a session titled, “Children’s Book and New Challenges”, Dr. Elyazia Khalifa, the founder of Al Falak for Translation and Publishing, and Emirati writer, Fatima Al Mazrouei, will discuss the many challenges facing the production and circulation of children’s books. The session, “Inspirational Books”, will see Jordanian author, Fida Al Zamr, and Pakistan’s Zenubia Arsalan, lead a discussion on how to develop content for inspirational and stimulating books that promote thinking, learning, and creativity in children.

As SCRF 2021 expands its reach to the eastern coast of the emirate this year, residents and visitors at Dibba Al Hisn can meet with author Dr. Hussein Ali Haref for a spirited and lively open discussion on a broad range of topics, while in Kalba, students and children can interact with authors Kevin Sherry and Dinara Mirtalipova in separate sessions.

Al Safa Art and Design Library in Dubai will host four interactive SCRF sessions for the first time this year. In a discussion on “Bringing Stories to Life”, Claudia Rueda and Eltayeb Adib will explore the intriguing role of unique characters in enabling authors to tell their stories.

Award-winning illustrator, Matt Lamothe, and Emirati Aysha Al Hemrani, will demystify the process of creating digital illustrations in children’s books in the session titled “Digital Illustrations” while in “Stories and Pictures”, authors Claudia Rueda and Saudi Arabia’s Faraj Al Dhufairi, will shed light on the special skills required for writing picture books, and elaborate on the creative process and production of these books.

Greenfeet Guides founder and author, Ambika Anand Prokop, and Emirati novelist, Fatima Al Mazrouei, will explore the meaningful ways in which writing introduces children to foreign culture in a session titled, “Cultural Sustainability”, and delve into how books expand the cultural and environmental consciousness of children.

In Fujairah, Jordanian author, Fida Al Zamr, and South Africa’s well-known changemaker and author, Swaady Martin, will hold separate discussions with young students to offer insights on the writing process, and engage in free-flowing conversations on relevant topics of interest.

Ras Al Khaimah will host two meet-the-author sessions for students featuring Eltayeb Adib and Saudi Arabia’s Faraj Al Dhufairi.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued Executive Council Resolution No. (9) of 2021 forming the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG). According to the Resolution, the Director General of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department will chair the Board.

The Board includes a representative each from the Secretariat General of The Executive Council of Dubai and the Smart Dubai Department, in addition to Dr. Tayeb Aman Allah Mohammed Kamali, Raja Mohammed Al-Mazrouei, Dr. Yasar Farouq Jarrar as well as the CEO of MBRSG. The Representatives of the government entities shall be nominated by the heads of their respective entities on the condition that their scope of expertise falls in line with the MBRSG work.

H.H. also issued Executive Council Resolution No. (10) of 2021 forming the Board of Directors of the Dubai Foundation For Women and Children (DFWAC). According to the Resolution, Ahmed Darwish Al-Qamah Al-Muhairi will chair the Board.

Pursuant to Executive Council Resolution No. (10) of 2021, Mona Essa Al Bahar will serve as the Deputy Chairman of the Board. The members of the Board include Hessa Abdulrahman Tahlak, Mohammed Ali Rustom, Aisha Ahmed Al-Marri, Khaled Yahya Al-Hussaini and Dr. Sultan Abdul Hamid Al-Jamal, in addition to the Director General of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.

The two resolutions are effective from the date of issuance and will be published in the Official Gazette.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SHARJAH, “My wish for the world is that all cultures are celebrated, stories continue to be written, and that one day, every child will find themselves within the pages of a book,” said Dinara Mirtalipova, a self-taught illustrator and designer, while speaking at a cultural discussion on the opening day of the 12th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Mirtalipova, whose captivating folkloric art is inspired by the rich traditions of her Uzbek/Russian roots, was speaking at a session titled, ‘The Power of Folklore’, held at SCRF’s Cultural Forum. The session also hosted Egyptian novelist, Tayeb Adib, and explored how writers and artists could gain creative inspiration from their respective traditional heritage.

“Folk art is art of the people; it is what connects us to our roots,” said Mirtalipova, who has worked with publishing companies, popular consumer brands, and ad agencies.

She added: “Illustration is silent story telling. When you read aloud a story, it is the illustration that visually connects what a child is hearing to what he/she is seeing. It is important therefore that every culture is represented in the pages of a book.”

In the era of globalisation, heritage plays a vital role in strengthening one’s identity, said Tayeb Adib, a popular children’s writer. “Arab writers and artists have traditionally drawn on our ancient heritage of oral storytelling and folkloric culture to create beautiful literary masterpieces.”

“Our folklore is rich and powerful; and it is not just through books but by establishing centres dedicated to folk traditions that we must keep our heritage alive,” he said.

The Egyptian author added: “Many people question the relevance of folkloric traditions in the age of drones and space exploration. However, without heritage, no nation can prosper.”

The 12th edition of SCRF is being held under the theme ‘For Your Imagination’. Taking place at Expo Centre Sharjah, it is the region’s largest and most important festival of its kind. This year, 32 authors from the Arab region and around the world will be speaking on the SCRF platform across 30 literary events, which will take place in Sharjah, Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Dubai, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Source: Emirates News Agency