A short review on the Year of Reading and its impact on Dubai

1. Monita Mohan
Reading: Your Passport to the World
If you’re lookingfora journey,looknofurtherthana book.Bookscan take you anywhere andanywhen
(thatneedstobe a word) and youdon’tevenhave tofussabout passportsandvisas.
In the recentpast itwas difficulttoenjoythese writtenjourneysinthe UAE – we have a beautiful
culture of oral storytellinginthe Middle Eastandunfortunatelythathasnotfiltereddowntoawriting
culture.We had fewbookstorestolose ourselvesin,andfewerpeople todiscussthisenduringlove
with.
But thingschange,andlast year2016 was declaredasthe UAE’s Year of Reading.Whata wayto
celebrate the global impactof the book!InDubai,we have had the EmiratesAirline Festival of Literature
for sevenyearsnow,butthisyearhas seenthe emergenceof several initiativesencouragingchildren
and theirparentstoread and to write.Writingissuchan importantpartof the readingjourney;you
invariablyfindyourself reachingforthe nearestbookwhenyouputpento paper(or fingertokeyboard
as it were).
What have alsocroppedup are bookgroupsand writinggroups,more sothanbefore.Ihave recently
joinedawritinggroupandit makesa differencetoyouroutlookonreadingandwriting.
I foresee the NationalReadingLawmakingasignificantimpactonreadinginthe cityandin the UAE.
What will thisyear’sMonthof Reading(October) holdinstore forusintrepidtravellers?Thatisa story
waitingtobe told.