‘Warsha’ Introduces Arab Illustrators to Asian Ethos of Children’s Book Design

Marwa Al Aqroubi: Such projects are vital to broadening the horizons of our artists… and go a long way in helping them diversify their creative delivery skills. 

For immediate release
India,5 January 2019

Warsha – an initiative by the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature to support and inspire a new generation of writers, illustrators, and publishers who are passionate about creating Arabic books for children and young adults through a series of specialised workshops – has introduced Emirati and Arab children’s book illustrators to the Asian experience in book illustration and design in the Indian city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, at a workshop titled 
‘Asian Forms of the Book’. 

TheUAE Board on Books for Young People(UAEBBY), organisers of Etisalat Award, has engaged 5illustrators in the workshop on the side-lines of their participation at the 27th New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF 2019), which runs until Sunday, January 13. 

Leading Chennai-based independent publisher, Tara Books, who specialise in children’s and young adult (YA) fiction, has delivered these workshops from January 2-4, bringing the participating Emirati and Arab artists closer to the individualistic ethos of illustration and book design followed in India and the subcontinent. 

The three days of the workshop included interesting discussions and practical sessions on concepts like ‘what is illustration’, ‘what is book design’, which enabled participants to engage in exchanges with Indian illustrators and design experts, sharing their ideas about the work they aspire to do in future to ignite the curiosity of young Arab readers, and how can the Asian sensibilities of design can be fused with theirs to create unique illustrations.

The workshop was attended by 5 illustrators from 4 Arab countries. Hassan Zahreddine and Thimar Halwany from Lebanon, Rima Kousa from Syria, Sahar Abdullah from Egypt, and Alia Al Shamsi from the UAE.

Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY, said: “Through its Warsha programme, the Etisalat Award has enabled Emirati and Arab illustrators to explore the high artistic value and unique aesthetic of Indian and Asian illustration techniques. Such projects are vital to broadening the horizons of our artists by accessing the creativity and talent held by other cultures, and go a long way in helping them diversify their creative delivery skills. 

“The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature aims to build bridges and connect with intellectuals and artists from around the world to enrich the local and Arabic children’s book industry through a series of workshops organised by Warsha programme. These creative events are designed to hone the skills and expertise of those working in the field of children and young adults publishing, to produce diverse and rich content.”

 “Our partnerships with local and international publishers like Tara Books enriches content for children and young adults, and achieves the award’s aspirations to expand and reach Asian and international markets," she continued.

From her part, Gita Wolf, Founder of Tara Books thanked the UAEBBY for enabling this very rich encounter and said: “ We really enjoyed the unusual interaction with creative professionals from the Arabic speaking world,  people we would usually not get a chance to meet. We do hope this marks the beginning of a longer collaboration!”

Warsha programme was launched in 2013 by the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature to encourage reading by inspiring a new generation of talented writers, illustrators and publishers who are passionate about creating Arabic books for children and young adults. The Etisalat Award invested AED 1.1 Million in supporting a range of workshops on illustration, writing, and publishing from 2013 to 2018, with an aim to bringing about a unique jump in promoting Arabic children books.

The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature was launched as an initiative by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and Patron of the UAEBBY, and is sponsored by Etisalat Group. It aims to support and develop the Arabic children’s book industry, and recognise outstanding children’s books that address contemporary topics that enrich children’s literature. The Etisalat Awards also aims to inspire publishers, authors and illustrators to be more imaginative and produce the most creative Arabic children's books.

Tara Books is an independent publishing house founded by Indian writer Gia Wolf in 1994, and is dedicated to publishing books for children and young adults. Tara Books has won a number of prestigious international awards, including the London Book Fair International Publishing Industry Excellence Award 2014, and the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher (Asia Region) in 2013.