Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi paints on a small bookcase in the shape of Pledge a Library’s portable library.

Reflecting Kalimat Foundation’s (KF) commitment to fostering creativity and instilling a love for reading among children, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Founder and Chairperson of KF, attended an art workshop at Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) 2023.

Sheikha Bodour engaged with the children who participated in the workshop and joined their activity, who on their part enthusiastically expressed their joy to share their drawings, creativity, and love for art and reading.

Inclusive reading sessions

As part of its SCRF 2023 programme, KF also hosted a series of inclusive workshops that brought together visually impaired children with their peers to experience the joys of storytelling sessions, and broadening their knowledge through inspirational stories and meaningful narratives. The workshops were hosted under 'Ara' initiative which was launched in 2017 with the aim to enhance literacy skills among children with visual disability.

The main reading workshop was held in collaboration with the House of Wisdom and the Emirates Schools Establishment, and featured a story titled 'A Paper Traveller', published by Kalimat Group. The storytelling session, led by Haitham Shoukry, Founder of “Al-Hakawati” initiative, focused on instilling values of perseverance, determination, and willpower in children, aiming to draw children's attention to respecting the environment, teaching them about the value of recycling and sustainability practices. Children then participated in a workshop where they had the opportunity to create their own candy machine, drawing inspiration from the story.

Amna Al Mazmi, Director of Kalimat Foundation, said: "The foundation is adamant about achieving its vision and goals of empowering children through reading and safeguarding a child's right to access sources of knowledge to broaden their horizons, and reach their potential while nurturing a new generation that values knowledge and meaningful connections."

The inclusive workshops were organised by the KF in its endeavour to activate the MoUs signed with local entities, including a partnership with House of Wisdom, reflecting the Marrakesh Treaty authorisation.

COMIC BOOK POETRY

During a creative and innovative workshop called "Comic Book Poetry" held at the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, children were given the opportunity to merge their artistic and literary talents into a unique and vibrant creation. Under the guidance of Maha Al Muheri, an expert in anime and manga illustration, the children were taught to produce an integrated format that can be enjoyed by both readers and viewers alike.

She engaged the participants by asking about their favourite animated characters, which led to a discussion about how many of these characters originated from comics. Maha then asked the children about their favourite nursery rhymes, and after a few options were discussed, the class decided to use the classic “Humpty Dumpty” tale to create their very own comic strip.

With blank paper, pencils, and pens in hand, the young artists were given an insightful lesson on how to establish a comic layout by dividing the page into four segments and illustrating the nursery rhyme over each one. Al Muheri was very attentive and provided helpful guidance to the many young students along the way, encouraging them to bring their own unique style to their artwork.

The children then put their creativity to work and drew the story of Humpty Dumpty, starting with an egg character sitting on a wall, then a picture of him falling off, followed by the king's men and horses coming to his rescue, and finally the image of them not being able to put poor Humpty Dumpty back together again.

The workshop successfully demonstrated how to use pictures in succession to tell a story, and Maha Al Muheri's guidance allowed all the participants to create their own comic book strip.