Culture & Education | Tuesday 17 March, 2015 1:36 pm |

UAEBBY invites influential illustrators and publishers to weigh in on panel discussion

Today the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) participated in a key panel discussion on Books – Made in UAE (B-MIU), which was held as part of the 'Future Generation Festival'. The annual festival, which is taking place in Kuwait this week, is the ideal sounding board to drum up discussion about Books – Made in UAE, a collaborative project by the UAEBBY and the Goethe-Institute Gulf Region, which is sponsored by Knowledge Without Borders (KWB). The project itself is the leading supporter of emerging Emirati-made children's and young adult books by local writers and illustrators.
Enhancing the interests of young people in the UAE through culturally valuable stories is Books – Made in the UAE's primary focus and their participation in the ‘Future Generation Festival’ has only cemented this output.
As part of this year’s initiative UAEBBY invited Abdulla Al Sharhan, an illustrator who participated in the project’s first edition with his illustrated story ‘The Runaway Louse’, written by Maitha Al Khayat and published by Jarrous Press to be a part of the key panel discussion along with Ali Al Shaali, the publisher of the story ‘The Golden Dates’, written by Noura Khoori, Illustrated by Nauf Al Shaikh and published by Al Hudhud publishing.

Talking about the project and panel discussion UAEBBY’s President Marwa Al Aqroubi said, "It's vital to keep the conversation alive and thriving in order to invigorate the future of Arabic children’s book creators."

"Aspiring children's writers are the key to solidifying the future of the next generation, so it's vital that we continue to support these initiatives through thought and talk," continued Marwa Al Aqroubi.
The Books – Made in UAE initiative was first launched in 2011 to encourage Emirati writers and illustrators to develop their skills in the areas of writing and illustrating books for children as well as in promoting their work in the UAE and beyond. The aim of the project was to inspire the development of Emirati-made children’s books that reflect the cultural values and interests of Emirati children in both text and illustrations.

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