The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi organises Multaqa Fikra for authors, illustrators and libraries - Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi organises Multaqa Fikra for authors, illustrators and libraries

08 Oct, 2019

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) organised the second edition of the Multaqa Fikra (Idea Forum) on 5 October, hosting a group of authors and illustrators of children's stories and youth literature to discuss non-fiction book ideas, as well as brainstorm potential avenues of creative cooperation between creatives and libraries.

Multaqa Fikra provided a platform through which the participants were able to share their experiences, and included a special workshop for writers and illustrators who wanted to share their fiction and creative works with a wider audience.

The forum opened with a welcome speech and a short presentation by Shaikha Al Muhairi, Acting Director of the Libraries Department, DCT Abu Dhabi, where she highlighted last year’s achievements and summarised opportunities for collaboration with Abu Dhabi libraries.

This was followed by the workshop ‘Non-Fiction Inspiration’, presented by Al Muhairi, where authors and illustrators of children's stories discussed emerging trends within non-fiction books for children, and ways to write and illustrate such books.

Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Acting Executive Director of the Dar Al Kutub Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi said, “Multaqa Fikra provides a much-needed opportunity for authors and illustrators of children's books to exchange ideas and unleash their creativity in a supportive environment. Encouraging the younger generations to read is one of our core missions at DCT Abu Dhabi, and so supporting those who contribute to society by producing literature for children and young readers is of paramount importance to us.”

Following the workshop, the authors and illustrators including Dr. Al Yazia Al Suwaidi, Dr. Fatima Al Buraiki, Dr. Reem Al Gurg, Dr. Ahmad Al-Shuaibi, Noura Al Khoury, Nadia Al Najjar, Amira Bou Kadra, Sabah Debi, Asma Al Ketbi, Huda Harkous, Samar Najah, and Prof. Nizar Al Qahtani and the painter Hamda Al Khaja, participated in a brainstorming session, where they put forth innovative ideas for the enhancement of collaboration between libraries and the community. The forum ended with the sharing of experiences of writing non-fiction books for children.