Buzzing book fairs and literature festivals might be off the agenda for now due to the UAE's social distancing regulations amid the coronavirus outbreak, but Sharjah has still found a way to foster people's love of the written word.
The Sharjah Book Authority has launched a 10-day virtual reading festival, starting from Wednesday, May 27. It promises to connect writers and authors from across the world with a number of cultural, literary and poetry sessions and workshops online.
The festival is aimed at people of all age groups and nationalities, as the authority invites celebrated Arab authors and other experts from different countries to get involved.
Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of SBA, emphasised that the promotion of science, knowledge and culture are key factors. "In these circumstances, our responsibility towards society, readers and intellectuals has naturally doubled, and we intend to harness all means to contribute to their well-being by uplifting their artistic thought and creative processes," he said.
“Now, more than ever, the role of culture, books and reading becomes more central to our lives … The Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival offers a unique digital platform for intellectuals and creative minds from around the world to connect remotely, celebrate the full diversity of humanity’s cultural expressions, and share experiences and knowledge, even as the world works to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.”
The schedule and specific details on how to access online sessions will be revealed in the weeks leading up to the festival.
In these circumstances, our responsibility towards society, readers and intellectuals has naturally doubled
The emirate has a long history of being a hub for literature and a go-to destination for readers, writers and publishers. In 1982, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, launched the first Sharjah International Book Fair.
Last year, Sharjah was Unesco's World Book Capital and a number of new initiatives were announced, including the launch of House of Wisdom, a state-of-the-art library, which will be home to more than 100,000 books, as well as a cafe and children's educational space. It was due to open this month.
The space also sits near The Scroll, a spiralling, modern sculpture inspired by Arabic scrolls and designed by British sculptor Gerry Judah.
However, amid the pandemic, a number of literary events have been postponed, including the annual Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, which was scheduled to be held between April 8 and 18.
In the meantime, Sharjah Public Libraries has given readers free access to its digital collection, which consists of more than six million e-books and other resources in about 10 languages, for three months.
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
