Sponsored by Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat Group) and organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature has held a number of discussion panels and reading sessions along with interactive workshops at Hatta Primary school for boys in Dubai. 

The event took place in celebration of the Month of Reading, as part of the wider UAE 2016 Year of Reading, and was part of the Etisalat Award’s social responsibility programme to promote reading as a positive influence, an insight into knowledge and a source of inspiration among school-students and communities across the UAE.

The dedication of Etisalat Award towards honing the skills of the new generation was clearly manifested by the visit of His Excellency Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO Advisor and General Manager of Etisalat Northern Regions to the school, where HE Taryam emphasised the key role reading plays in building children’screativity, nurturing their talents and providing them with the ability to have a better understanding of their surroundings and forming and expressing their own opinions.

The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literaturepresented a number of its award winning booksfromthe past seven years to the school’s library in order to diversify itsrange and ensure students have access to the most appropriate material to broaden their horizons, expand their creativity and prepare them for leadership in later life.

Throughout the visit, a team from the UAEBBY organised reading sessions in which they recited winner of Etisalat Award 2014 for Children’s Book of the Year category ‘QitShaqiJiddan’ (Naughty Kitty), written by Abeer Al Taher, illustrared by Maya Fidawi, to students. The UAEBBY also conducted an interactive workshop in which children recreated the stories that were narrated to them, revealing highly promising acting skills.

“We believe that our students are an inspirational generation which will lead our country into a great future and this is one of the reasons why the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature organises these visits across the UAE. We aim to instil the reading skills that introduces them to new books and new worlds, to build a strong cultural and intellectual community driven by their desire for knowledge,” said His Excellency Abdul Aziz Taryam.

Etisalat has been instrumental in supporting an array of activities to strengthen literary and cultural ties in the UAE. The organisation has sponsored the Etisalat Award for Arabic children’s literature since 2009, rewarding the best talents in the children’s book industry in five categories; ‘Children’s Book of the Year,’ Young Adults’ Book of the Year,’ ‘Best Text,’ ‘Best Illustration’ and ‘Best Production.’ The award is worth AED one million, distributed between the five categories and the workshops that accompany them.

The UAEBBY is the national branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). It was launched in 2010 as an initiative of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan al Qasimi, Founder and Patron of the UAEBBY. It aims to promote publishing and distributing high quality children books in the Arabic language all over the UAE. It also aims to provide professional and amateur authors and illustrators, as well as publishing houses based inside UAE, with opportunities to communicate, exchange experiences and develop educational capabilities. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is the main board which is based in Switzerland and was founded in 1953. It is an international network of institutions and individuals from all over the world, who have committed to promoting and encouraging the culture of reading, and bringing children and books together.