Dubai prisoners tell their tales in a book
dubai — Inmates of the Dubai Central Jail have penned their personal stories in a series of essays which are being released at this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in the form of a book.
It will be released on February 6 and the title of the book is Tomorrow, I Will Fly — inspired by the story of a Ugandan inmate who flew in an airplane only once in her life to come to Dubai. Shortly after, she was jailed.
Authors associated with the festival have been working inside the female and male prison for two years, guiding inmates on how to write.
“The authors taught them how to love reading and how to spend their time productively. It started from there and then the authors held workshops to teach them how to write,” said Lt-Colonel Jamila Khalifa Salem Alzaabi, Director of Dubai Women’s Jail.
dubai — A collection of personal stories written by convicts spending their term at the Dubai Central Jail will be brought out at this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
A total of 27 female and male inmates were part of the festival initiative for two years under the guidance of author-mentors. Their writings were put together in a book titled Tomorrow, I Will Fly. It will be released on February 6 at the 12th edition of the festival.
“The authors taught them how to love reading and spend their time productively. They then did workshops to teach them how to write,” said Lt-Col Jamila Khalifa Salem Al Zaabi, director of the Dubai Women’s Jail. “What we discovered was that 27 inmates had the talent of writing and their work is now being published. The initiative has helped them find themselves and they feel new. We haven’t jailed them just so they can be handcuffed, we want them to learn and prepare them better for the outside world. They can go to school and college.”
Authors associated with the festival have been visiting the prisons every month for the past two years to promote books and help them with reading and writing.
Lt-Colonel Al Zaabi said it’s been helping the prisoners improve their mental health as many of them have been writing down their personal journeys.
Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-inChief of the Dubai Police, said: “The responsibility of the Dubai Police is significant and varied in terms of means to protect and care for human rights, and what we offer to the inmates at the penal and correctional institutions is an excellent opportunity to reflect the bright image of the state in this field.
“The cooperation between the Dubai Police and the Emirates Literature Foundation comes within the framework of caring for inmates. The project Tomorrow, I Will
Fly is one of the means that support inmates and aim to organise visits for international writers and
Lt-Col Jamila Khalifa Al Zaabi, director of Dubai Women’s Jail
residents in Dubai to the correctional institutions during which the writer communicates with the inmate through the language of writing and books.”
Annabel Kantaria, one of the authors that conducted the workshops and helped the inmates with
their writing, said the title of the book was inspired by a Ugandan inmate who flew in an airplane only once in her life, and that was when she came to Dubai.
“It’s one of the most touching stories. She was born and raised in a remote village in Uganda. They
Ahlam Bolooki, director of the festival
didn’t have electricity or roads and she had never been to a big city,” Kantaria said. “She got a job at the airport. Her whole family dropped off at the airport, but then she ended up in jail. Her writings share her journey.”
The authors taught them how to love reading and spend their time productively. They then did workshops to teach them how to write.”
The International Literary Festivals’ Conference is another exciting development for us, demonstrating our position as one of the leading festivals internationally.”
It’s one of the most touching stories. She got a job at the airport. Her whole family dropped off at the airport, but then she ended up in jail.” Annabel Kantaria author