In honour of the UAE Month of Reading, the Emirates Literature Foundation held an Arabic Language Week from October 18-24. Over five days, renowned Emirati and Arab World authors visited schools and universities, conducting fun workshops and sessions in Arabic celebrating the language and its rich literature.
The event has been held annually for four years, in association with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and this year featured Sahar Naja Mahfouz, Diala Arslan Talhouk and Salha Obaid.
More than 100 students from schools across Dubai benefited from the event, and Eman Al Hammadi, Competitions Manager and Arabic Education Relationship Officer at the Emirates Literature Foundation, was very pleased with this year’s success.
“It is always a pleasure to be around young students, whose passion for learning is endless. We tend to become disassociated with Arabic given today’s digital and global world, but seeing the excitement of the children as they engaged with their native language in such a fun way underlines the importance of the Week and the work the Foundation and the many initiatives under the new National Reading Policy, instituted by His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE have been doing to bring the focus back to Arabic literature.”
In conjunction with the regular school visits by authors, at this year’s Arabic Language Week the Emirates Literature Foundation, in partnership with Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, organised a Calligraphy workshop at Emirates International School and also held a special children’s storytelling and activity session at Dubai Mall, in association with ArabRama and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
Fatma Al Marri, CEO of Dubai Schools Agency at KHDA said: “Arabic Language Week brings a great deal of joy to all children – they see the beauty and the humour of the language and are inspired to read and learn more.”
The Week ended month-long celebrations of reading by the Foundation, including the official launch of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and the Dubai Translation Conference, held in partnership with The Executive Council of Dubai.
