Dubai: The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) has announced the second phase of Writers Exchange between the UAE and Japan.
Writers Exchange is one of the key categories of MBRF’s Dubai International Programme for Writing, which aims to support young talented writers in the UAE and the Arab world.
It was organised in collaboration with the Japan Arts and Culture Foundation.
MBRF is an establishment that seeks to build the potential of the youth and their positive outlook to develop knowledge-led societies.
The second phase of the Writers Exchange programme will provide three Emirati writers – Mohsin Sulaiman, Al Hanof Mohammad, and Talal Salem — the opportunity to spend nearly three weeks in Japan to learn about the culture of that country and engage with the people.
Based on their experiences, the young writers will author three books in Arabic, which will then be translated into several other languages, including English and Japanese.
Jamal Bin Huwaireb, Managing Director of MBRF, said: “The experience of the culture of other countries will enhance the writer’s creativity and enable them to produce literary works that speak about realistic situations in a transparent manner, and help support the exchange of cultures and dissemination and transfer of knowledge.”
Commending the success of the first phase of Writers Exchange, Bin Huwaireb said during this phase, the programme hosted four Japanese writers in the UAE and gave them the chance to get closely acquainted with the culture and social life of the people in the emirate. They also visited some of the most famous tourist attractions.
Author Talal Salem said Writers Exchange is a great step forward towards achieving the dream of writers in UAE as it helps develop their vision, culture and knowledge at a global level. He pointed out that the human experience is one of the most important benefits of the programme.
The UAE team’s visit to Japan will include bus trips and tours to the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto as well as famous museums and popular heritage sites in the country.
After the completion of the Japan visit, the Writers Exchange will include several countries around the world. MBRF Foundation has signed several agreements and partnerships with international institutions and entities based on which talented writers from other countries will be enrolled. Each team will stay in the country of the partner team for a specified period of time to enable them to understand the culture and lifestyle of that country and convey their experiences in innovative works of literature.
