(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The ?1001 inventions? exhibition features a diverse range of exhibits to enthral visitors and enrich their knowledge including interactive displays and electronic games.
the ‘1001 inventions and library of secrets’ short feature film/exhibit ought to get any student with minimal interest in history hooked on to the subject primarily because the short lesson is being given by none other than the legendary british academy award winning actor ben kingsley.
just when you think the film is over a magical portal opens up taking the viewer into another dimension that revisits few pages of history from the muslim civilisation.
children having fun at the reading festival. — kt photo by m. sajjad
the exhibition opened to the public on april 15 as part of the sharjah children’s reading festival at the sharjah expo centre. “it is one of the highlights of the festival” said ahmad al ameri director of sharjah international book fair. “hosting film in this ground-breaking exhibition is in line with the directives of his highness dr shaikh sultan bin mohammed al qasimi supreme council member and ruler of sharjah that the city should host special events that highlight the muslim civilisation’s culture and its influential role in the world.”
al ameri added: “(the) 1001 inventions exhibition has achieved resounding success when exhibited in other cities ... (like) london istanbul new york washington dc los angeles kuala lumpur and jeddah.”
the ‘1001 inventions’ exhibition features a diverse range of exhibits to enthral visitors and enrich their knowledge including interactive displays electronic games and models that bring to life historic role models from muslim civilisation. the exhibits are being showcased at eight main stands each of which highlights achievements and discoveries in a certain field — such as engineering agriculture medicine and surgery geography and marine science astronomy optics and education.
but this is only one of the many initiatives taken up by the sharjah government to inculcate the reading habit in children. the children’s reading festival is hosting an array of events for both adults and children which they are hoping will eventually get them into the reading habit.
in an interview with khaleej times al ameri said: “a factory for example will break even only 15 years after its establishment. what we are trying to do is to create an entire generation of readers. there are activities lined up for parents who do not read and want their children to get into the habit. i believe that everyone must read irrespective of language. a lot of the activities have been designed to enthral and encourage both parents and children.”
the 11-day festival is playing host to 124 publishers from 17 countries and 30 bestselling children’s authors. children are hearing stories playing games learning photography watching films and even taking up activities that encourage them to improve their scientific skills.
“about 75 per cent of the titles at the festival is in arabic and there are few international publishers participating as well” said al ameri. “the english language penetration in the region is high as well. arab children are now actively reading english as much as they are reading arabic.”
the challenge with e-books
e-books or digital media is the future of reading. however it is not the present said al ameri.
“there are several challenges that e-readers are facing with integrating books in the arabic language ... many international publishing houses still do not support e-books mainly because the return value is not that high and there is also the problem with piracy.”
some of the visitors to the exhibition told khaleej times that they prefer a physical book to e-books. “that feel of holding an actual book cannot be replaced by e-books” said abdullah rahman (17) a student.
the children’s reading festival will continue until april 25 and is being held at the expo centre sharjah.
— dhanusha?khaleejtimes.com
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