Knowledge without Borders at Reflection and Dawahi Festivals to Enrich Visitor Experiences through Reading

Reading sessions for children at Reflection and mobile library for Dawahi’s visitors 

Sharjah, December 29, 2019:  Sharjah-based cultural initiative dedicated to encouraging a reading heading habit in Emirati society, Knowledge without Borders (KwB), has presented a range of book-related activities to visitors of two cultural festivals in the emirate - Reflection and Dawahi Festival 2018. 

As part of its participation in the ‘Reflection’ festival, organised by the emirate’s premier tourist destination ‘Al Qasba’ from December 20-31, KwB organised a series of interactive story reading sessions for children. 

These were specifically designed by KwB to highlight values of honesty and integrity to young listeners creatively through the plot of popular stories like Fifty Dirhams and Samir’s Bicycle by young Syrian writer, Muhannad Al Aqoos. 

The session also required frequent interaction with the storyteller, which was aimed at encouraging the children to participate in community events and build their self-confidence.  This they did by assuming specific characters in the two books for a session of role play to share their impressions of the narratives, and what they learnt from the tales.  

Noura bin Hadiya, Manager of KwB, said: “We strive to promote the value of reading among members of community, especially children and youth, by engaging them in activities that help them discover the joy of exploring new themes, messages, and cultures through reading books. Our participation at Reflection and Dawahi festivals are part of our efforts to promote a love for reading by giving people the opportunity to engage in books and reading as a community, and have fun doing so.”

At the 7th edition of the Dawahi Festival, organised by the Department of Suburbs and Villages Affairs at Al Ramtha and Al Bataeh Parks in Sharjah, from 13-28 December, KwB set up a mobile library for festival visitors. 

The mobile library attracted a great number of festival-goers of all age groups, and fulfills one of KwB’s core efforts to ease community’s access to books and knowledge. The KwB mobile library displayed a rich collection of books on human science and other genres of fact and fiction to appeal to a diversity of tastes. 
KwB was launched in 2008 as an initiative by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and is closely supported by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and President of Emirates Publishers Association. It aims to promote the awareness of community members about the importance of reading and general knowledge.

The initiative seeks to cement Sharjah’s reputation as the UAE’s cultural capital through initiatives and programmes it launches with a view to fostering reading as a key driver of human progress. 

In a first-of-its kind achievement in the region, KwB ran its “Home Library” campaign, providing free home libraries to 42,366 Emirati households in Sharjah, as part of its efforts to foster a culture of reading among all members of the Emirati society.