QF Launches "One Book, One Doha" Campaign to Promote Arabic Literature

Doha, March 07 (QNA) - The National Reading Campaign "Qatar Reads", an initiative launched by Qatar Foundation to increase national awareness of the value of reading to all members of society, has launched "One Book, One Doha", a campaign that brings people together to celebrate culture and learn about the rich history of Arabic literature through a shared reading experience. The campaign will run from March 6-26 in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Qatar National Library, with three phases awareness, reading, and participation and end with a four-day festival where participating readers will have the opportunity to meet and interact. The selected book for the launch of One Book, One Doha is Kalila and Dimna, one of the most famous books in the history of Arabic literature. It collects 15 tales, all featuring animals as the main protagonists, with its origins dating back to Sanskrit text before it was translated into Arabic during the Abbasid era by the Muslim scholar Abdullah Ibn Al-Muqaffa. "This campaign aims to revolutionize the way we think about Arabic literature," said Fatema Al Malki, Qatar Reads Project Manager. "By rediscovering cultural icons, were creating a shared experience, engaging in invigorating discussions, and kickstarting creativity. Qatar Reads aims to bring together the community through different reading initiatives, and we hope this nationwide movement is just the beginning," she added. Jassim Al Buainain, Director of the Libraries Department at the Ministry of Culture, said: "The Ministry of Culture is pleased to cooperate with Qatar Reads and Qatar Foundation, and together we make reading more interesting through all our joint activities. The One Book, One Doha campaign will be the largest reading campaign in Qatar, where everyone reads together and shares the passion for reading to continue building an educated and more cohesive society, which brings us closer to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030." Al Buainain explained that there will be many surprises awaiting children and their families through this cultural forum. He emphasized the great diversity of the books that will be available in the campaigns reading space, which will target all sections of society in order to benefit both children and their family members who accompany them when visiting this space. "The Ministry of Culture, represented by the Department of Libraries, seeks, through its cooperation with Qatar Reads initiative, to promote the love of reading at the country level in a comprehensive, attractive and appropriate manner," he said. "It leads to new interests, topics and ideas, and guides them to new ways of seeing the world from different perspectives." Abeer Saad Al Kuwari, Director of Research and Learning Services, at Qatar National Library, said: "QNL is keen to acquire and provide copies of distinguished and well-known literature books of all kinds." (QNA)