Petra Dünges, International projects about Arabic children's literature

Last Revision: 26 October 2021

International projects on Arabic children's literature with information in English, German, French or Spanish

Projects with information in English about Arabic children's literature

Temporary Projects

Developing Arab Children's Literature, a regional programme to promote children's literature and reading in five Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. It is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and coordinated by The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures (ALF)
The UNESCO nominated Beirut World Book Capital for 2009. There are lots of book-centered events in 2009, organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture with various partners. The workshop Enhancing Cultural Diversity in Youth Literature is just one example of many having to do with Arab children's literature.

Permanent projects

The IBBY Children in Crisis Fund of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has the aim to support the therapeutic use of books and storytelling in the form of bibliotherapy, and the creation or replacement of collections of selected books that are appropriate to the situation. We hope the programme will not only provide immediate support and help, but that it will also make a long term impact in the communities, thus supporting IBBY’s goal of giving every child the Right to Become a Reader. Among the major projects are IBBY Libraries in Gaza, Palestine 2017 for the reconstruction of IBBY's Gaza libraries and Syrian Children in Lebanon: Syrian Refugees Bibliotherapy Project, which concentrates on a therapeutic programme using books, theatre and other methods for refugee children.
The project Books – Made in UAE organized by the Goethe-Institut in co-operation with UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), supports the development of a sustainable local children’s book industry by training young and aspiring authors and illustrators in the creative process of producing children’s books in Emirati Arabic language.
The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature is launched by the UAE National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) in order to stimulate the children's book industry in the Arab World.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award from the UAE recognises significant cultural achievements to Arabic culture.
Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) strives to develop reading among children as well as improving the children's book industry standards.
The Diary of a Stolen Thought, a free Arabic copyright handbook for illustrators and writers, from the Anna Lindh Foundation and Rania Zaghir, the founder of Al Khayyat Al Saghir, a publisher of Arabic children’s books. See the website of the Anna Lindh Foundation.
Arab Children's Book Publishers' Forum, a framework based in Sharjah, UAE, and supervised by the General Department of Children and Girls Centers. Works under the umbrella of the Arab Publishers' Association.
National Sections of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
The Sharjah IBBY fund aims to help children whose lives have been disrupted through war, civil disorder or natural disasters in the region of Central Asia and North Africa through implementing reading-related projects. The fund is launched by the United Arab Emirates Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and the International Board on Book for Young People (IBBY) and supported by the Sharjah government.
Access to books for disadvantaged communities worlwide is provided by the charity Book Aid International in partnership with the British Council in Palestine. Book Aid International increases access to books and supports literacy, education and development in various regions, for example in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, where it works together with the Tamer Institute for Community Education.
LITPROM promotes in cooperation with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and Frankfurter Buchmesse the winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Arabic Literature (SZBA) in Europe. There is a Translation Fund Initiative to encourage European publishers to translate and publish more work by Arabic authors. Funding will prioritize three languages: French, English and German.
LITPROM promotes books and authors from the following categories: Young Author, Literature, Children's Books.
LITPROM presents short biographies of some authors with links to more information. Further, it gives descriptions of some winning titles of the SZBA (in German). With respect to children's books, these are the winners for the years 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021:
- the picture book Bila Qubba'ah (Hatless) by Lateefa Buti (text) and Doha Al Khteeb (illustration),
- the juvenile book Al-Fata al-ladhi Absara Lawna al-Hawa (The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air) by Abdo Wazen,
- the picture book I Dream to be a Concrete Mixer by Hussain Al Mutawaa (text) and Walid Taher (illustration). (For a sample of a translation into English, see the blog ArabLit: Arabic Literature and Translation by M. Lynx Qualey).
- the picture book The Lilac Girl by Ibtisam Barakat (text) and Sinan Hallak (illustration)
- the book An Artist's Journey by Mizouni Bannani
I know most of these books very well. While some of these are interesting, I personally cannot recommend all of the winning titles of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for translation from Arabic. Publishers may contact me for a report on these books..
Arabic Children's Literature, translations from Arabic into German (www.petra-duenges.de, Petra Dünges).

Blogs

ArabKidLitNow!, a blog which aims to provide a fresh view on contemporary Arabic children's literature, in Arabic and in translation (by translator-writer-critics Ruth Ahmedzai-Kemp, Emily Danby, Nashwa Gowanlock, Sawad Hussain, M. Lynx Qualey, and Hend Saeed)

Project with information in German about Arabic children's literature

Temporary Project

Bücher wecken Träume: Der Bibliotheksbus des Goethe-Instituts im Delta, ein Projekt im Rahmen der Deutsch-Ägyptischen Transformationspartnerschaft
Arabischsprachige Kinder- und Jugendliteratur. Eine Bestandsaufnahme. Ein Projekt der Internationalen Jugendbibliothek im Zeitraum von 2018-2020 und mit Förderung der Landeshauptstadt München.

Permanent Project

Kinder- und Jugendliteratur aus dem Arabischen, Übersetzungen (www.petra-duenges.de, Petra Dünges). Arabic Children's Literature, translations from Arabic into German.
LITPROM vermittelt in Zusammenarbeit mit der Tourismus- und Kulturbehörde von Abu Dhabi und der Frankfurter Buchmesse Gewinnertitel des Sheikh Zayed Book Awards für arabische Literatur (SZBA) in Europa. Ein Förderprogramm für Übersetzungen aus dem Arabischen möchte europäische Verlage anregen, diese Titel in ihr Verlagsprogramm aufzunehmen. Bevorzugt gefördert werden Übersetzungen ins Französische, Englische und Deutsche. Vermittelt werden Bücher und Autoren aus den Kategorien Literatur (Literature), Nachwuchsautor (Young Author) und Kinderbuchautor (Children's Books).
LITPROM stellt eine Auswahl der SZBA-Preisträger besonders vor. Im Kinderbuchbereich sind dies die Preisträger für die Jahre 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 und 2021:
- das Bilderbuch Bila Qubba'ah (Hatless) von Lateefa Buti (Text) und Doha Al Khteeb (Illustration)
- das Jugendbuch Al-Fata al-ladhi Absara Lawna al-Hawa (The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air) von Abdo Wazen
- das Bilderbuch I Dream to be a Concrete Mixer von Hussain Al Mutawaa (Text) und Walid Taher (Illustration). (Ein Auszug in Übersetzung ins Englische findet sich auf dem blog ArabLit: Arabic Literature and Translation von M. Lynx Qualey)
- das Bilderbuch The Lilac Girl von Ibtisam Barakat (Text) und Tamam al-Akhal (Illustration)
- das Bilderbuch An Artist's Journey by Mizouni Bannani
Ich kenne die meisten dieser Titel sehr gut. Einige sind nicht uninteressant, aber ich kann nicht alle Siegertitel des Sheikh Zayed Book Award für eine Übersetzung aus dem Arabischen empfehlen. Verlage können Gutachten zu diesen Büchern bei mir anfordern.

Projects with information in French about Arabic children's literature

Temporary Project

Lire le livre (lirelelivre.hypotheses.org, Mathilde Chevre). Arabic children's literature seen as a mirror of Arab society.

Permanent Projects

Takam Tikou An online publication on children's and youth literature in Africa, the Arab World, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean Territories, published by La Joie par les livres.
Littérature de jeunesse en arabe, traductions de l'arabe vers l'allemand (www.petra-duenges.de, Petra Dünges). Arabic Children's Literature, translations from Arabic into German.

Projects with information in Spanish about Arabic children's literature

Articles in Spanish

Entre tradicion y modernidad Hoy se publican mas y mejores libros para ninos, lo cual refleja las multiples facetas de una sociedad arabe moderna en rapida transformacion (politicaexterior.com, Afkar, Ideas 55, 2017, Petra Dünges)
La literatura infantil y juvenil en el Magreb (politicaexterior.com/,Afkar, Ideas 55, 2017, Khalid Rizk)
Ilustracion infantil(politicaexterior.com/,Afkar, Ideas 55, 2017,Gulnar Hajo)

[top]