Khoula al-Mujaini, director of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival: "We want children to contribute positively to the society of the future"
Sharjah, one of the seven Arab Emirates, is clearly committed to culture and to making itself known to the world through it. Numerous events are organised every year in search of this international projection, but with a very clear internal focus: towards the generations of the future. These days, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the Exhibition Centre is hosting the Children's Reading Festival. Its director is Khoula al-Mujaini. Atalayar had the opportunity to talk to her, a meeting in which she conveyed her enthusiasm for the work she is carrying out and the objectives she is pursuing. Beyond the fact that children love reading, they also want them to have a complete education so that they can develop positively and contribute to society. She also spoke about the important role of the family, new technologies and women's leadership in the UAE.
This year, the 14th edition, is presented under the slogan "Train your brain" and for this purpose a thousand activities have been organised for children between the ages of 4 and 15, covering different areas of knowledge, mixing science and art. The idea, says Khoula al-Mujaini, is to combine the two components: creativity and science, "because what we want is for children to grow up with a good education and to participate positively in the society of the future". With this idea in mind, a complete programme has been designed, which began on 3 May, and which seeks, the director reiterates, to instil in children and adolescents through workshops and other activities a positive attitude that will have an impact on the society of tomorrow.
The importance of the family
But children and young people are not the only ones targeted by this event. When you go into the pavilions where the various stands have been set up with great originality, you will see that the family plays an important role. We asked its director about this, and she did not hesitate to stress the importance of involving families, for example, in the panel discussions. "We don't just want to educate the children, we also want to involve the parents, because they need to be aware of the issues currently affecting their children".
Mums with their children in prams, dads with their little ones in their arms, others running or queuing up waiting for their turn to play, to learn... These images are repeated all over the site. "We can consider the Festival as an excursion for the whole family. All the members of the family will find something for them to do: the mother, the father, the children. It's a family-oriented event that focuses on all aspects of children's lives, educational and entertainment," says Al-Mujaini.
A technological world
Digitalisation is here to stay and to evolve. We live in a technological world that for the elderly is moving too fast. Metaverse, artificial intelligence, robotics, tik tok, avatar... the youngest move in this new technological world like a fish in water. Does it benefit or harm our children? Do social networks, video games... make them read less? The director of the Festival answers: "I think it's both. It's both good and bad, it depends on how they are being used. Al-Mujaini defends social networks and artificial intelligence, because "they are key components in the educational process. That's why we make sure that all the activities we offer here are a mix of education and entertainment". And so it is, among the workshops organised, all these topics are being addressed, she reminds us. Technology, computer programming, social networks and their proper use... are all part of education, "we believe that, in order to transmit an idea to a child, you have to do it through something they like. If we teach them how to use technology, we ensure that in the future they will know the right way to use these tools".
Alongside the knowledge and fun programme, the festival, like all book fairs, has an exhibition part where publishers show and sell their books. The fact that children love books and reading is the basis of this event, although the challenge is much more ambitious. Spanish, despite all the millions of Spanish speakers in the world, still has little visibility in the Arab world. All children speak English. Al-Mujaini, when asked whether there are initiatives to promote Spanish, replies that it is essential for children to know languages. She recalls that two years ago, Spain was the guest country at the Sharjah Book Fair and that one of the workshops this year focused on the importance of educating a trilingual child. "Teaching them different languages is very important," she says, as is "the great cultural exchange" that comes with guests from all over the world.
Sharjah to host the 2nd Animation Conference
We also talked about the Animation Conference that has been held these days at the Exhibition Centre, albeit on the fringes of the Children's Reading Festival. She has been the executive director of this event, which has brought together major international creators and producers from the animation industry. For Al-Mujaini it has been very positive, "we are happy", and she assures that they will continue with the collaboration of "Bergamo Animation Days" to carry out the second edition in Sharjah next year. "We have very talented young people, but it is a very new industry here and we need help".
Women's leadership
One last question. We wanted to know, what it meant, as a woman, to hold a position like the one she holds within the Sharjah Book Authority. "It's a difficult question," she says with a smile. "You can see that here in the UAE, women are empowered a lot. We occupy a lot of leadership positions. You can find women ministers, ambassadors... there are women in all positions," she says. Al-Mujaini, who comes from the world of communication and marketing, defines her position as "very exciting and honourable", because of the kind of projects she can develop, whether for children or adults. "We try to make a difference, to stand out in the cultural industry," said the Festival director, who said she was very proud.
The festival is entering its final stretch, the number of visitors and participation in the workshops and scheduled events is more than positive, but the curtain has not yet closed. "I think I can say that so far it has been a success, but we have to wait for the last day, we are looking forward to seeing the result," says the director cautiously.
