Culture & Education | Wednesday 27 April, 2016 4:32 pm |

Writers, artists and specialists in Arab literature confirmed that the Arab children’s book is still in good shape, despite challenges to the sector from regional instabilities and the rise of the digital format. The assessment came during a panel discussion organised by BCC Arabic in collaboration with the Sharjah Book Authority, on the sidelines of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) 2016, which is being held until April 30.

 

Participants at the discussion, which was a major draw at the SCRF 2016 event at Expo Centre Sharjah, also said that they see relative progress in the children’s book industry in the region in terms of content and printing. They emphasised the need for significant strategies to reawake Arab children of all ages to read and take interest in books and the adoption of new methods to engage with young minds in the light of modern technology and the prevalence of the digital format.

 

Themed ‘Children’s Writing in the Arab World - Between Reality and Imagination,’ the session saw the participation of writer and illustrator Ali Al Mandalawi, storyteller and writer Nabila Ahmed Ali and poet and children’s writer Mohammed Abdulla Wild Omaro. The session was moderated by BBC Arabic reporter and presenter of the radio programme ‘World of Books,’ Omar Abdul Razek.

 

Answering the question on how he sees the reality of literature and culture as it applies to Arab children these days, Ali Al Mandalawi said; "The current situation heralds a great deal of hope, despite the conditions of conflict being witnessed in the Arab world. While the reading and publishing process has come to a complete standstill in some Arab regions, we find the industry prospering in other areas, such as Sharjah, Lebanon and Egypt. The landscape is also defined by a strong infrastructure of qualified Arab art and literary energies and a potential that can deliver successful and fruitful books”.

 

Discussing the situation in his homeland of Mauritania, Dr. Mohammed Wild Omaro offered an appraisal that was less optimistic. He stated that that children’s culture and literature was lagging in the country because writers have abandoned producing publications for children, as he believed that they look inferiorly at this genre of literature. He said that the Mauritanian school curriculum does not help build a distinguished child’s culture, instead focusing on flooding students with hard scientific subjects or directions taken from adult books.

 

Talking about the reality of the children’s literature and publishing landscape in Syria, Nabila Ahmed Ali said; “The children’s book sector in Syria is still in good shape, although obviously because of the country’s current situation is not as healthy as it previously was. Publishing in Syria now needs a new direction that addresses the current circumstances, with writers, educators and psychologists working to alleviate the negative impact of conflict and violence in young minds."

 

Answering BBC presenter Omar Abdel Razeq’s query: “Has the reality of war left space or room for imagination to deal with what is important for Arab children's literature and drawing?” Ali Mandalawi replied: "Yes, there are distinct signs that we can cope with the current situation of children in countries where there are bloody conflicts that affect their imagination. Out of this strife children can rebuild their culture and reshape their personalities and knowledge. Even in countries experiencing violence there are publishing houses that have much to offer. They can, of course, give more if they have the opportunities to do so.”

 

Challenges arising from the growth of the digital format had their fair share of the discussion, as is the case in many conversations taking place at global cultural arenas which see heated debates between the benefits and disadvantages of digital and paper surface. In this context, Dr. Mohammed Abdulla Wild Omaro pointed out that the lack of alternatives that takes into account Arab children’s privacy, the absence of professional writers and publishers for children and the prevalence of commercial profit at the expense of quality, are factors that delay the progress of children’s cultural development. This, he opined, led to other formats filling the void, with the most prominent example being the effortless rise of digital technology.

 

Writer and illustrator Ali Al Mandalawi used his input at the panel discussion to criticise school curricula, saying: "Children’s intimacy with modern technology and their increasing disregard for books is understandable because school curricula do not rise to the level required to introduce something new to children. They instead adopt boring methods of indoctrination, lack common interaction and articulate ideas that do not accommodate children as human components with their own psychological, health, scientific, cultural and even technical needs. Exacerbating this problem is the fact that teachers’ ways of imparting learning are not adapting or evolving, thus delaying the achievement of the desired goal. "