The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Emirates Foundation for Literature, has launched a series of virtual live-streaming sessions organized as part of the digital events presented by the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to its audience, in order to spread knowledge in innovative ways and enhance communication with the literary community, after postponing the 30th edition of the exhibition to next year due to the current global health conditions.
Ten international speakers, with diverse disciplines and interests in education, business administration, history, entertainment, libraries, health and science, will participate in the virtual sessions, which will meet the taste and aspirations of diverse community age groups, children and adults alike.
H.E. Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Executive Director of The Book House Sector at The Department of Culture and Tourism AbuDhabi, said: “The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi continues its efforts to support the cultural scene in the capital by launching a series of virtual interactive seminars and sessions, despite challenges to current conditions across all sectors.”
“Virtual sessions contribute to enhancing the status of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which, despite the postponement of its activities, has succeeded in maintaining its contact with its audience, publishers, intellectuals and writers, in accordance with well-thought-out plans and interactive and targeted content, which is in line with the strategic directions of the Department, which seeks to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s status as the capital of culture and a destination for local and international intellectuals.”
“Literature has the potential to change, change how we feel, and help us adapt to the circumstances we face, giving a bit of magic when the writer revives the book,” said Isabel Apollo, CEO and Board member of the Emirates Foundation for Literature. In this difficult period of social spacing, there is nothing better than sharing the experience of listening to these inspiring sessions with others.”
The sessions began in April with a special session with the distinguished children’s story teller Corky Ball, entitled “The Witch Winnie and Corky Ball”, and child nutritionist Annabel Carmel gave a live session from her kitchen in which she discussed eating habits while staying at home and how to keep children healthy and entertained.
The Department of Culture and Tourism -Abu Dhabi is preparing to launch a session with writer Nick Arnold, author of the Children’s Horbel Science series, which will discuss the subject of scientific experiments from home, along with a video by Anthony Gavin, global documentary producer, and an innovative storyteller to illustrate the amazing opportunities offered by virtual reality and augmented reality.
Other sessions include Chris Gardner, an inspirational American businessman and speaker who offers an optimistic view of how to use health ban time to realize our dreams, artist Eric Bruges who will talk about how to use Islamic design as a source of creativity and inspiration, John Hudson, a survival coach who discusses how to deal with the pandemic, and manchester university consultant Limon Sesay, who will discuss his new memoirs as well as how his students deal with the Coronavirus crisis.
The sessions will also be hosted by Saudi film director Shahid Amin, who spoke to the audience about filmmaking and creativity, by turning the experience of staying home into a comic book story, and Thomas Erickson, author of the best-selling book, Surrounded by Idiots, to talk about his vision of human behavior in our new world of remote work.
The virtual sessions also host a seminar by Teacher Stephen Ritz on the effects of the spread of the CORONA virus on the schools with which he works, focusing on ways to learn by turning the house into a garden or orchard.
For more information, visit the social media channels of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
