Guide to the highlights of Emirates Airline Fesitval of Literature Spotlight event

A new Emirates Airline Festival of Literature event gives the country’s literary talent a chance to shine. Here is your day-by-day guide to the highlights of the Spotlight event.

Film director, screenwriter and poet Nujoom Al Ghanem will host a three-day scriptwriting workshop. Antonie Robertson / The National

The eighth annual Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (EAFOL) kicks off on Tuesday with a new three-day event showcasing Emirati writing.

Spotlight on the Emirates will host a number of renowned Emirati literary personalities, along with sessions highlighting the literary traditions and culture of the UAE.

This new strand will take place at Dubai International Writers’ Centre in Al Shindagha Historical Neighbourhood, far removed from the hubbub of the InterContinental Festival City, the main venue for EAFOL, which this year has been expanded to two weeks.

Here is your day-by-day guide to the highlights of the Spotlight event.

DAY ONE

A Tribute to the Life of Mohammed Khalifa Bin Hadher

The focus of the first evening will be renowned Emirati poet and diplomat Mohammed Khalifa Bin Hadher, who established Al Nadwa: The UAE Cultural and Scientific Association and the Rashid Prize for Higher Education. He last appeared at the Festival of Literature in 2010, and died the following year.

Author Ibrahim Al Hashimi, who has written a book on Bin Hadher’s life and poetry, will lead a tribute showcasing his achievements and the impact he had on Emirati culture.

“Mohammed Khalifa Bin Hadher is a national treasure of the UAE and an extremely important figure culturally and socially and politically,” says Al Hashimi, an author, columnist and artist, and the President of the Dubai chapter of the Emirates Writers Union.

“It is sad that he never published his work during his lifetime other than in newspapers and magazines.”

Al Hashimi’s biography of Bin Hadher included 40 of the poems, chosen from thousands he has archived.

“We are hosting this tribute out of love and respect and appreciation for this great man’s work,” he says. “He is the only Emirati poet whose work is part of the educational curriculums in Kuwait, Lebanon and the UAE – children start studying his poetry in first grade.”

The poet, says Al Hashimi, was a champion of the Arabic language, eager to serve in charities across the country.

“He is a role model for every Emirati and it is our duty to honour him now,” says Al Hashimi.

• Tomorrow, 8pm to 9.30pm, in Arabic with English translation, free entry.

DAY TWO

Writing Children’s Books That Make a Difference

Shaima Al Marzooqi has written more than 25 children’s books, with her young daughter Hafsa in mind as the typical reader. That’s not to mention novels for adults, a short sci-fi story for teenagers and a research paper on the challenges faced by the Arabic language today.

She also writes a daily column in Al Khaleej newspaper, and spends her weekends writing book reviews. It's hard to see how she finds the time for it all – but Al Marzooqi says she considers a day that passes without at least a few minutes spent reading and writing to be a day wasted.

The internationally-acclaimed children’s author will lead a workshop – ideal for parents and teachers – that examines how reading and the choice of books can shape a child’s growth and behaviour.

“We will look at early childhood and development, the importance of having books in a child’s life, how reading can aid in development and also be nurturing, how it makes a difference to the child when the mother is a reader, and how to instil the habit of reading in a child so that reading becomes a part of life, not just a hobby,” says Al Marzooqi.

“There are all different types of children’s books – how do we choose the right kind to grab a child’s attention, what should we look for in books when creating a library for the child?”

Al Marzooqi focuses on books for children between the ages of 3 and 5.

“Although the nursery or school will later play a role, a habit of reading is born at home first,” she says.

“If we do not ensure that we are raising a generation that reads and seeks knowledge, then we will have no cultural future for our country and no appreciation for advancing in knowledge,” she says.

• Wednesday, 4pm to 6pm, in Arabic, sold out

DAY ONE TO THREE

Lights, Camera, Action!

Award-winning film director, screenwriter and poet Nujoom Al Ghanem – who has produced more than 11 films including five fictional shorts and six ­feature-length documentaries –will lead a three-day filmmaking and scriptwriting workshop.

On day one, participants will brainstorm script ideas, the following day, they will learn how to go about getting the film made, and on the final day, the focus will be on production. “We will focus mainly on the writing, from developing a small idea all the way through until you have a final proposal that is ready to be presented and produced,” says Al Ghanem. “We are covering the creative part of the process as well as understanding the production side.” Ideally, she says, participants will have some basic filmmaking knowledge – whether from college or university, or an interest or background in the field – and come to the workshop with ideas for scripts or plots.

“They don’t have to bring a script, as they will learn how to do that in the workshop,” says Al Ghanem. “It’s going to be very exciting and very intense, and a lot more practical than a class you’d attend at university.”

Although she doesn’t promise participants will have a completed script by the end of the workshop, she says they will leave with an “actual proposal”.

“A script takes time, so we will aim for a well-formed idea for a documentary or short, or even full feature that can be packaged as a proposal, ready to be submitted to a film company for production.”

• Tomorrow to Thursday, in Arabic, 9.30am to 1pm each day, Dh450

• For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.emirateslitfest.com