User Archives: Jinanne

"The Middle East isn't just about war. It's about art and culture and language... and friendship. " - Linda Nathan, Boston Arts Academy Director

Qatar Foundation International piloted the Arabic Language and Culture Initiative at two schools in the Fall of 2009. The Boston Arts Academy was one of them. Watch this video of reflective interviews from students who participated in the program and in a cultural exchange trip to Qatar in the Spring of 2010. The program built cross-cultural bridges that left a lasting impact on many of the students, and many plan to continue their Arabic language journey as a result.

Mabrook, graduates!

We are so excited to be launching the new and improved Araboh.com!

It feels like yesterday we launched our very first website in July 2008...  Now, the Araboh team has been hard at work bringing this new site to life, bringing new publishers on board and creating lots of free content for our users. In the coming weeks, we will be launching lots of new exciting initiatives. And stay tuned for an extra special announcement lined up for late fall 2011!

As with any new site, there may be minor kinks to work out over the coming days, so we appreciate hearing feedback from you about your experience on Araboh. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, what else you'd like to see, and how we can better promote Arabic language education!

And check back in frequently for updates and additions to our community. We're just getting started!

It was announced yesterday that the judging panel for the third edition of the Etisalat book award for Arabic children's literature has been approved for the year 2011.

The Etisalat book award, an initiative by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, was launched in 2009 with the support of Etisalat, and is the most significant award for children's literature in the Arab world today.

The judges, all of whom are experienced and respected literary figures, will be expected to review all entries and to carefully examine the results before selecting the winning titles, which will be announced this November. Newly formed each year, the jury is expected to perform their duty in a transparent and fair manner as per the criteria and standards of the award.

In order to participate in the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature, entrants must meet 14 terms and conditions which include, among others, that the book be written in Arabic, and that it was published within the past three years. The book should not be a local, regional or international award winner, and it should be original; translated or quoted works will be excluded.

Entry is open to all Arab and international publishing houses dedicated to producing Arabic-language books targeting children from ages 0 to 14. The publisher is also committed to publishing 2,000 copies of the winning book bearing the logo of the prize for non-profit purposes.

Stay posted for more updates on the Etisalat children's literature award!

Source: ameinfo.com

Are you in London this summer? If so, don't miss the 2011 SHUBBAK FESTIVAL, a celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world!

Shubbak will run from the 4th to the 24th of July, and will include more than 70 events in more than 30 venues around the city, including programming in the visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion.

Munira Mirza, the London Mayor's Advisor on Culture and Youth explained the evolution of Shubbak on the event website: "In conceiving this festival over two years ago we had no idea how topical it would be. The news headlines over the last few months have shaken western preconceptions about Arab societies and revealed the hopes of a large and diverse population. In light of such staggering changes sweeping across the region, Shubbak has taken on a new perspective. Naturally, many of the artists featured have created work in response to the recent political and social changes."

For event schedules and more information on Shubbak, check out their website at http://www.london.gov.uk/shubbak

Sarah Champa Al Dafa, Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar and Hind Abdulrahman Al Khulaifi are three women in Qatar working to establish and run a full service bi-lingual Arabic and English public library serving toddlers to teens and their parents.

"The mission of Maktaba is to provide a place to inspire children and their parents to fall in love with reading, learning and the acquisition of knowledge. The library will be a place where imagination comes to life through books, play and thoughtfully conceived programming for children of all ages."

Given the limited number of library services currently available in Qatar, ARABOH.com is excited to support Maktaba as it builds a comprehensive Arabic children's collection as a part of their library. Stay posted for more information as Maktaba comes to life!

ARABOH.com recently spoke with two Arab-American mothers who designed a fun and interactive Arabic-language game in response to their own children's learning needs, and will soon be releasing the game to the rest of the world!

Abjad, a game targeted at 3-6year olds  that focuses on alphabet recognition and vocabulary enrichment, was born from Reem Atassi and Mouna Abdelhamid's longing to have their children learn the Arabic language and heritage. "In search of tools to teach our children, we encountered massive road blocks of non-stimulating, un-illustrated, and often outdated Arabic educational tools. As a result, we, as mothers, decided to create a fun and interactive Arabic-based learning mechanism that could compete with its English counterpart."

Check out www.abjadhawaz.me for details on the game's upcoming release, and watch the video below for a demonstration of the game.

الثاني من نيسان هو اليوم العالمي لكتاب الطفل. يأتى هذا الحدث السنوي، الذي يعقد في جميع أنحاء العالم تحت رعاية المجلس الدولي لكتب الأطفال. يعتبر الأحتفال بهذا الحدث اليوم مصدر إلهام حب القراءة ولفت الانتباه إلى كتب الأطفال في العالم.

يهدف الاحتفال إلى تشجيع عادة القراءة للطفل ومواجهة التحديات الثقافية التى تواجه الطفل فى العالم فى عصر تتزايد وتتعاظم قدراته المعرفية. كما يساهم الاحتفال بكتاب الطفل فى تأهيل الأطفال للتعامل مع هذه التحديات والاستفادة منها.

بدأ الأحتفال باليوم العالمي لكتاب الطفل منذ عام ١٩٩٥، وهذه هي السنة الأولى التي يشارك فيها بلد عربي كراعي رسمي لهذا الحدث الهام.

ساهم فرع جمهورية مصر العربية للمجلس الدولي لكتب الأطفال في تفعيل الشعار الرسمي لعام  ٢٠٠٩ تحت مسمى "أناالعالم" وتم تصميم الملصقات الخاصة للشعار من قبل الفنان العربي هاني المصري.

يتضمن الملصق والقصيدة المرافقة لشعار هذا العام سمة مميزة تشير إلى أدب الطفل العربي ويتأمل القائمون على المهرجان بجذب مشاركة عربية واسعة من خلال انضمام قراء عرب الى الاحتفالات.

للمزيد من المعلومات عن اليوم العالمي لكتاب الطفل وشعار ٢٠٠٩ الرسمي لهذا الحدث وهاني المصري يمكنكم الأطلاع على موقع الأنترنت للمجلس الدولي لكتب الأطفال - www.ibby.org

April 2nd is International Children's Book Day! This annual event, held around the world is sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY): International Children's Book Day is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

Celebrated since 1995, this is the first year that an Arabic country has served an International sponsor for the event. Egypt's national section of IBBY has created the 2009 theme "I Am The World", with a poster developed by Egyptian Illustrator Hani D. El-Masri.

The poster and accompanying poem for this year's theme feature charming references to Arabic children's literature that should draw more Arabic readers to join the festivities.

Check out the IBBY website for more details on Hani Al-Masri and the 2009 theme for International Children's Book Day.