Sharjah 24: On the sidelines of the Jeddah International Book Fair (JIBF) 2022, Marwa Al Aqroubi, Executive Director of the House of Wisdom (HoW) and President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), took part in a panel discussion that touched on the realities and challenges facing young people’s literature across the Arab world.

Titled “Young People’s Literature: Past and Future,” the discussion session, moderated by Dr. Mona Al Maliki, with the participation of Lebanese poet and critic Abdo Wazen and Egyptian author Afaf Tabala, highlighted the initiatives launched to advance the publishing industry, as well as means to upskill the young people’s literature professionals and instill the habit of reading among children and adolescents.

In her statements, Al Aqroubi stated that the sector lacks high-quality content, well-crafted designs and professional production. Writing for the young people is more complicated than writing for adults, because the former requires knowledge about the emotional and cognitive development of the target audience, and insight into their topics of interest, Al Aqroubi added.

She stressed that the UAE was adamant about revitalising the publishing sector aimed at young people by establishing the UAEBBY, headed Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi. Since its founding in 2010, the UAEBBY has been organizing programmes and activities that promoted reading among younger generations and has honoured distinguished authors, illustrators and creatives.

In this context, the UAEBBY launched the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature back in 2009 with the purpose of incentivising publishers, authors, and illustrators to publish Arabic children’s content of the highest quality. The award has expanded and even attracted a large number of submissions from Arab and international publishers over the years.

The HoW executive director explained that inspiring programmes like the ‘Warsha Programme’ and ‘Books Made in UAE’ had contributed immensely to unearthing and supporting local and Arab authors and illustrators, in addition to honing their skills to produce creative, world-class works. 

She pointed out that  different institutions nationwide are impending initiatives, programmes and events to encourage reading and creativity. The House of Wisdom in Sharjah dedicates different spaces for children and youth to read in engaging learning and fun environments. It further organises book clubs and other relevant activities to encourage them to adopt reading as a life-long habit and to unlock their creativity.

The Jeddah International Book Fair 2022 ran between December 8-17, with the participation of more than 900 local, Arab and international publishers and cultural institutions.