Bologna, Italy: ‘Folktales Reimagined’, an exhibition jointly organized by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and Sharjah-based House of Wisdom (HoW) was recently inaugurated by Ms. Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) and Founder and Honorary President of UAEBBY.
The Exhibition which is part of Sharjah’s Guest of Honor program at the 59th Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), is seen as a platform to promote intercultural dialogue and the creative exchange of ideas between the UAE and Italy.
Curated by UAEBBY, ‘Folktales Reimagined’ is a cross-cultural creative project that was launched during the Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 celebrations, and witnessed artists from two very different cultures reimagine and offer artistic interpretations of each other’s most popular folk tales.
5 extremely talented UAE artists have reimagined the legends and fables from Italy through the lens of their unique ideas, expressions, and perspectives, while artists from Italy were commissioned to do the same with some of the best-known tales from the UAE.
The event which held as part of the ‘BOOM! Grow with Books’ Festival alongside BCBF 2022, symbolizes the vision of both Sharjah and Bologna on the solidification of cultural dialogue and exchange of creative ideas between the two cities.
The project presented new creative prospects for artists, illustrators and the children’s literature industry in both nations, and the resulting exhibition has offered the community a vibrant platform for inter-cultural appreciation.
A discussion panel was also organized by the UAEBBY at BCBF 2022. The panel highlighted the artistic and cultural experiences and learnings of the ‘Folktales Reimagined’ project’s participants.
The discussion which was moderated by Dr. Yasmine Motawy, Senior Instructor at the American University in Cairo, Egypt witnessed the participation of;
- Nicoletta Gramantieri, Head of the Salaborsa Ragazzi Library
- Amira Bin Faris, Programs Manager, House of Wisdom
- Francesca Dell’orto, Illustrator
- Ayesha Al Badi, Illustrator
The panelists deliberated on reinvigorating folktales through such projects and enable children’s book illustrators push their creative boundaries by undertaking a cross-cultural artistic journey like the one they were offered by ‘Folktales Reimagined’.
The panel also stressed that stories serve as a nexus for dialogue and understanding between peoples and cultures and promotes the exchange of ideas between readers, publishers and authors.
The project highlights the importance of creative exchange between cultures, and unveils a significant fact, if people delve deep into popular folktales, they will realize the common human values that bring them together, no matter how dissimilar their cultural backgrounds.