Sharjah: The third edition of the Sharjah Reading Festival got off to a serene start yesterday at the Sharjah Expo Centre with the two-day Children's Book Forum also opening simultaneously.
The reading festival, which runs until February 21, is being held under the patronage of Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The Sharjah Reading Festival is being held under the slogan "We are a reading society" and includes a series of reading sessions, activities, forums and workshops dedicated to enhance the popularity of reading among children.
The opening of the bi-annual festival also marked the launch of the first locally-published audio book titled Dejaja Bak Beek (Chickens clucking).
"Our books aim at making children truly global citizens while helping them to relate to their own culture. With our first [audio] book, we want to highlight that we embrace modern technology even as we retain our unique cultural identity to cater to our expanding reader base," said Shaikha Budoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, founder of Kalimat Publishing and chairperson of the UAE Publishers Association.
"Reading, writing and learning are essential for any nation to grow and develop," observed Shaikha Budoor, who is also the head of the Knowledge without Borders organising committee.
Audio book: Celebrity support
Duraid Lahham, the popular Syrian comedian, is scheduled to host a book-reading session of the audio book Dajaja Bak Beek on the sidelines of the Sharjah Reading Festival.
The reading session will be held today from 5pm to 7pm in Hall 3 of the Kalimat stand with Lahham taking centrestage alongside the book's author Rania Zbib Daher.
Lahham will narrate the Arabic story to children attending the event. Having captured the popular imagination through a number of stage comedies and movies over a long career spanning four decades, Lahham is best known for his comic roles in Arabic television series.
Do you think that reading is a dying habit? What do you do to encourage your children to read?
