Prominent Arab Literati and Celebrities Light Up Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival

The 10th edition of Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), organised by Sharjah Book Authority, will host a line-up of the Arab world’s most popular authors and artists who have contributed to Arab literature with works that will enrich the cultural landscape for future generations.

Joining them will be a stellar line-up of famous thespians, including one of Egypt’s favourite actresses, Sabrin, and Bahraini actress Haifa Hussein, who has lit up Arab television, cinema and theatre with many outstanding performances. Other guests include renowned Egyptian actor, Abdul Rahman Abu Zahra, who has also had a distinguished career on both stage and screen.

Also appearing at the festival, which takes place from April 18-28 at Expo Centre Sharjah, will be Algerian artist Tareq Al Arabi Tarkan, who has written more than 1,000 songs and created scripts for several TV shows and famous cartoon films, and Syrian actress Amal Hawijeh, who has been the voice of much-loved animated film characters including ‘Mowgli’, ‘Captain Majid’ and the “Small Fisherman’.

SCRF 2018 will also welcome Lebanese author Sahar Mahfouz, a prolific writer who has penned a number of stories for young adults and children. Sahar has been a jury member for many renowned writing awards and in 2013 founded the Hunna Group for Female Emirati Writers and Creators.

The festival will also host Palestinian author and illustrator Fadwa Al Qasem Fadwa, who specialises in translation and writing short stories. Fadwa translated ‘The Scent of Cardamom’ by (Dar Sharqiyat) in 2005, and ‘The Scents of Marie-Claire’ by the Tunisian author Habib Selmi which was published by the American University of Cairo Press in 2010.

Egyptian author and scriptwriter Amr Samir Atef is sure to be a popular addition to the festival, having written the scripts of many TV series for children and adults, as will Omani author and theatre director Mohammed Bin Khalfan Al Hanaee who has written a number of popular children's plays. Other guests include Syrian writer Dr. Mustafa Abdul Fattah, Founder and Chairman of the Children’s Literary Club, and Sudanese author Dr. Haydar Waqee' Allah, Manager of Program Development at Sharjah Children Centres.

The festival also hosts a galaxy of academics including Dr. Reem Al Fawwaz, Assistant Professor and Researcher in Children’s Literature and Literary Criticism at the Arabic Language Department of the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.

Other academic guests include Toqa Abdelrahim, a teacher and civil activist who founded the ‘Whites’ initiative on women’s and children’s issues, and Dr. Najla Bashour, Professor of Educational Science at the University of Saint Joseph, who contributed to founding the Tala Establishment for Educational Aids and Instruments in 1984 with the aim of developing Arab education by producing teaching materials such as games, posters and stories.