Move to give visibility to Arab authors
DUBAI: Following spectacular results in driving visibility of Arab authors on Wikipedia, the Emirates Literature Foundation’s Kateb Maktub team on Monday steps up to replace the previous UAE Wikimedia User group.
Emirates Literature Foundation created Kateb Maktub to give visibility to Arab literature. Since its launch in December 2020, it has rapidly gained momentum with Arab author pages on Wikipedia increasing by 320%, or 4,800 pages. In contrast, the 12 months between September 2019 and August 2020, there were only 100 new Arab author pages created.
As the official User Group for the UAE, Kateb Maktub will be able to accelerate the movement through global collaborations, organise Wikimedia conferences, use UAE Wikimedia User Group trademark and apply for grants from the Wikimedia Foundation.
Ahlam Bolooki, Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, and new Leader of the User Group, said: “Wikipedia is one of the world’s most visited websites, and the first point of reference for many people around the globe. Being named the UAE User Group will help us take the next step on our journey of bringing Emirati and Arab literature to the global Wikipedia community, and the world.”
User groups are important in the Wikimedia movement and empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content and disseminate it effectively and globally. A User Group must present an activity report to the Affiliations Commitee annually, which forms the basis for renewal. The Emirates Literature Foundation is a not-forprofit organisation which supports and nurtures a love of literature in the United Arab Emirates and the region, through a programme of varied cultural initiatives.
Established in 2013 by Royal Decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-president and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Foundation aims to foster a love for literature, with a focus on the Arabic language.
In line with the National Reading Policy of the UAE, the Foundation has implemented several long-term projects including the School Librarian of the Year Award, Kateb Maktub, and From the Inside Out, as well as conducting year-round student education programmes, book clubs and creative writing courses. The Foundation’s previous initiatives included the 2020 International Literary Festivals Conference, 2016 Dubai Translation Conference and the 2017 Dubai International Publishing Conference.