Dubai: Video killed the book. Or so we thought. The UAE is not ready to let go of the written word. It’s fighting back with the ‘Year of Reading 2016’ and #UAEReads campaigns.
And Gulf News is on a war footing in this battle beautiful.
Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief of Gulf News and Executive Director Publications, said: “We were the first to understand the importance of books, of reading, of building knowledge and educating our generations. That’s why from the beginning we took care of books in terms of writing about them, reviewing works, interviewing authors and publishing related content from international sources such as The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph.
“We’ve published this content for years in our weekly supplement Weekend Review, with book reviews being a mainstay. It is published every Friday and is our tool to spread culture. It has introduced authors/writers from all over the world including the Arab region.
“About a year ago we launched our online initiative #GNBookClub, which is aimed at people interested in reading. But, I must admit that it’s not enough to promote reading, to encourage mainly younger readers to rebuild that relationship again with books ruined by digital. That’s why we’ve decided on our participation in the ‘Year of Reading 2016’ and #UAEReads campaign, and to activate our #GNBookClub with many activities to promote it. Interestingly we will be using mainly digital platforms as a tool to spread the physical book and reading.”
A series of competitions, reader book reviews, Twitter debates, author conversations and loads of literary giveaways have been planned for over the next few weeks. So, all those interested, should track the Gulf News Facebook page to find out when registeration begins. There are early bird prizes, too.
“The message we’re trying to send, both by Gulf news and with the govermnment initiative is that the book will remain the main source for knowledge and education. We urge families, schools, public libraries and communities to help in making this a success and to bring back the habit of reading into our lives,” added Abdul Hamid Ahmad.
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan launched 2016 as ‘Year of Reading’ in December and the latest hashtag from the National Media Council #UAEReads highlights the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “to promote reading as a public and social habit for all, especially the youth”.
Read and you will know more. Read and you will have a fighting chance. Read and you’ll make a friend for life.
Be it Hemingway, Kafka, Shakespeare or Tagore, they’ll never fail you.
Managing Editor Mohammed Almezel firmly believes, “reading is good. Gulf News is proud to be part of the national reading initiative because we believe that a nation’s development is based on knowledge of which reading is the key pillar.
“We have done several initiatives in the past to promote reading in our society including #GNBookClub. We hope that our loyal readers will take advantage of that and encourage, especially their children to take up reading as a habit. In the age of rapidly changing technologies and spread of social media, people replaced essential reading with mobile phones. I personally believe that we should go back to basics and embrace the book, again. The #UAEReads campaign is a great chance to do that.”
Joyce Carol Oates wrote: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
So, we asked some of the journalist in the newsroom on what reading means to them.
Alex Abraham, World Editor, said: “I get in to bed every night with a book, usually non-fiction. It helps me relax and at the same time jogs my memory. Reading has broadened my outlook, allowed me to visualise and given me an insight into the writer’s world. I wish our children read more and get the best out of books, rather than spend time playing games on gadgets.”
A sentiment shared by Opinion Editor Manal Alafrangi. “Reading for me is a form of escapism; it brings joy to me and counters my daily stresses - even when I am reading about history or politics; it really pushes my imagination to new levels. Reading also reinforces my interests and transports me to new places.
“As a mum, I feel very strongly about instilling this habit in my twins (three and a half years old). I can see the impact it’s got on them even at a very young age.”
Franz Kafka wrote: “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.”
Gulf News intern and UAE-based student Aishma Raghu, who’s spending a few weeks with the newspaper as part of her prize for an inter-university fiction writing competition, is a strong believer in the power of books. “Every once in a while, you come across words on a page that draw you in, grasp you by the arm and pull you into a new world that you realise, once they spit you back out, has become your world. And every time one puts aside a book after reading that final line, they’ve gained an intangible asset in the form of an idea that stays with them long after the words are forgotten.”
Books are a gateway. “Reading opens the mind, Writing helps you discover yourself. Books help you understand the world, cultures and makes your more tolerant,” concluded Meher Murshed, Senior Hub Editor.
