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Nearly 140 thousand visitors, including nearly 50,000 students, visited the sixth edition of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival that came to an end yesterday. This marks a 35% increase from the number of visitors who visited last year.
The Festival hosted children's book authors, artists, academics, intellectuals, publishers, illustrators as well as performers, storytellers and educators. Over the 11 days, more than 1690 workshops were held that taught children a wide variety of skills from creating their own puppets, to calligraphy to chess to understanding their rights.
The final day of the festival saw two panel discussions one on the cultural challenge of raising a child and another on bookmaking. In the first panel, the speakers discussed the threats that can interfere and potentially corrupt a child's identity, such as cultural invasion and whether the development of a nation affects a growing child.
The second panel discussed the move from traditional paper publications to eBooks. Chaired by Asma Alzaroni, a pioneer for children's literature in the UAE, the discussion brought forth some interesting points about the direction about the direction the children's book publishing industry is heading, from both an educational and a leisurely standpoint. Tony De Saulles, a UK-based Illustrator of the Horrible Series (Horrible Science being his most popular edition with translations across the globe) brought up that whilst he does respect the e-revolution, he still believes that paper books will thrive in the market.
Publishers hailing from all over the world showcased their latest books for the young ones during the festival. Speaking about the festival, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of the Sharjah International Book Fair, said: "We expect that next year, a more selective group of publishers will be displaying their books. Our selection is always based on the quality presented and we aim to showcase the best publishers in the Arab world." He added that the festival aims to be on par with international standards for children's festival. Al Ameri added that book purchase deals worth AED 5 million were made during the festival.
During the festival, workshops were conducted in collaboration with 14 governmental entities such as the Department of Culture and Information in Sharjah, the Sharjah Museums Department, Sharjah Educational Zone, Sharjah Police, Sharjah Chess Cultural Club, the Department of Social Services-Sharjah, and the Sheikha Shamma bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Foundation in Al Ain.
Children who visited the festival were spoilt for choice. The workshops were designed to impart vital social values to children, develop their talents and artistic, mental and sports skills, and encourage them to take up productive hobbies. A dress up corner and a caricaturist section were also popular amongst the young ones! In one part of the festival, children and parents were taught the importance of nutrition, underlying the belief that a healthy body and a healthy mind go hand in hand.
That belief was highlighted through a successful cookery corner in which international and Arab chefs demonstrated to visitors how to prepare healthy dishes and how to involve children in their preparation. The celebrity chefs and nutrition experts included Lily Vanilli, Will Torrent, Bahraini chef and writer Mona Al Hassan, Australian Masterchef Callum Hann, American Chef Monica Bhide, who wrote a number of books about spices, Sue Quinn from the UK and British nutritionist and diet expert Jenny Tschiesche.
The Social Media Café introduced daily seminars with renowned authors and experts in the field. Also, for the first time, the Creative Youth Café allowed the youngsters to express their opinions and to discuss matters that concern them with regards to reading and literature. All sessions during the Creative Youth Café' were moderated by the children themselves.
Also held during the festival was the Third Sharjah Exhibition for Children's Book Illustrators which showcased the works of 96 illustrators from around the world. Awards for the best illustrators were presented on the first day by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Illustrator workshops involved children and allowed them to explore their artistic creativity.
Folklore, songs, games, media and other matters that concern the book industry and the emotional and intellectual development of children were the focus of daily seminars that were held during the festival.
On the sidelines of the festival and continuing till May 15, was the international exhibition 1001 Inventions. The exhibition was brought to Sharjah on the occasion of its selection as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014. When visiting the exhibition, children and their parents are introduced to the golden ages of Muslim civilization and the great inventions of Muslim scientists that formed the basis of modern technological industry as we know it today. This was all done through an interactive exhibition that included drama and demonstration, a true infotainment feast for the young minds.
"This festival has had a great success and will only get better, thanks to the patronage and support of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs," said Al Ameri.
Among the top Arab guests at this year's Festival were Egyptian writer Amal Farah, a finalist in the UNESCO International Prize for Children's Literature in the Service of Tolerance, Iraqi writer and poet Jalil Khazaal, Bahraini novelist Abdul Qader Aqeel, Egyptian writer and poet Samir Abdul Baqi, Syrian magazine editor Bayan Al Safadi (of Usama magazine), Egyptian Writer, novelist and playwright Mahmoud Qassim.
Besides Arab authors, a number of top foreign writers and illustrators participated in the Festival, most notably artist and writer Andy Stanton, writer of the 'Mr Gum' series and the winner of the Red House Children's Book Award, and Fawzia Gilani-williams, expert of Children's Literature at Britain's University of Worcester, and author of 40 Islamic story books for children, as well as British Tony De Saulles, illustrator of the Horrible Science series.
Other events held during the festival included theatrical performances, film screenings and reading sessions.
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