Events begin to mark March as reading month
ABU DHABI: In celebration of the National Month of Reading, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi ( DCT Abu Dhabi) organised a series of activities and events aimed to establish reading as an integral part of people in the UAE’S lifestyles. The programme’s activities were organised in collaboration with many public and private institutions in the UAE.
One of the collaborators is the Kalima Reading Club, whose participation sees a series of workshops and children’s book reading sessions at the Children’s Library in the Cultural Foundation from March 1-15, 2020.
The reading club will also organise book signings featuring Emirati writer Fahad Al Maamari and his book “The Sea in Popular Heritage” in Sahara Centre in Sharjah on Wednesday, March 4 at 12pm; and Sara Al Shamsi signs her book “Saif’s Frond” in Al Ain’s Bawadi Mall, on Wednesday, March 18 at 6pm.
Dubai Mall will host two consecutive book signings on Friday, March 20, namely: “Empowering Women in the UAE” for Azza Hashim at 4pm and “The Sea in the Emirati Memory” by novelist Ali Abu Rish at 5pm.
DCT Abu Dhabi will also organise 23 book fairs where books will be sold at special prices.
To organise these events, DCT Abu Dhabi has collaborated with several UAE public and private institutions, including: The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development; Ministry of Health and Prevention; Abu Dhabi Municipality, Department of Finance; Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council; Family Development Foundation; Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer); and Burjeel Hospital. Other institutions include Dubai Mall; Mushrif Mall; Deerfields Mall; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall; Al Seef Village Mall in Abu Dhabi; Bawadi Mall in Al Ain; and a number of its library branches in Khalifa Park, Zayed Central Library in Al Ain and Al Wathba Library. DCT Abu Dhabi also collaborated with Sharjah Book Authority, Wadi Al Hilo Ladies Club and Sahara Centre in Sharjah, City Centre in Fujairah, and other cultural centres in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah.
In addition, the National month of Reading programme also includes several seminars and workshops, including a dialogue session under the theme “The Popular Poem and its Role in Lyrical Arts.” Set to take place on Tuesday, March 24 in Manarat Al Saadiyat. The session discusses several topics, including Emirati lyric texts and their composition, and dives deeper into how a popular poem brought a song to the ears of man outside the borders of his homeland. The session also discusses when the popular poem transforms into a message of art to the world; and the criticality and research processes for dissecting these lyrical texts.