The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation was transformed on Wednesday, November 16th, 2023, into a busy cultural and artistic workshop for tens of authors, intellectuals, artists and culture enthusiasts, who came to attend the Al Owais Forum for Children’s Literature, organized by Al Owais Cultural Foundation. The event included an exhibition of children’s books illustrations by a constellation of creative artists and the printing of the first illustrated tale in the UAE, written and illustrated by Abdul Aziz Khalil Al Mutawa in 1969.
The event was attended by Dr. Fatima Al Sayegh, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, and a wide audience of children’s literature enthusiasts including authors, researchers, illustrators and publishers among others working in this important literary field, which targets young readers.
The Forum saw the participation of a constellation of researchers, authors, artists and creative personalities who discussed the topic of children’s literature in the UAE over two sessions. In the first session, Dr. Ali Al Hammadi presented a research under the title of ‘The Role of Children’s Literature in Reinforcing National Identity’, author Rai Abdul Aal presented a research titled, ‘Fantasy and Symbolism in Children’s Books’, while author Nadia Al Najjar presented a research titled, ‘Self-awareness in Children’s Literature’. The session, which was moderated by author Badriyah Al Shamsi, concluded with a testimonial by artist and author Fatima Al Ameri titled, ‘Interaction Between Text and Illustration in Children’s Literature’.
In the second session, Dr. Wafaa Al Shamsi presented a research titled, ‘Symbolism and Fantasy in Children’s Literature: the Acceptable and the Rejected, an Analytical Study’, while researcher Amal Farah presented a research titled, ‘The Oldest Form of Children’s Literature in the Media: Magazines, Where and where to?’. Moreover, Dr. Haytham Yahya Al Khawaja presented a research titled, ‘Children’s Literature between Presence and Fragmentation’. The session, which was moderated by Badee’a Al Hashemi, concluded with a testimonial by Dr. Fatima Al Mazroui about her experience in children’s literature. At the conclusion of the forum, the participating authors and artists were honored and presented with merit certificates by the Executive Director of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, who thanked them for valuable contribution to the Forum. The audience also took a tour of the art exhibition, which showcased illustrations of children’s books by a constellation of creative artists, including: Nasser Nasrallah, Iman Al Raeisi, Aesha Al Hashemi, Marwa Hasiyat, Fatima Al Ameri, Raghda Oudah, Basha’er Al Hadrami, Latifa Bin Kata, Amani Al Shayeb, Salama Al Nuaimi, Aya Raashid and Aesha Al Marashida.
