Pen and pencils never go out of relevance; not even in the time of computers, keyboards and AI, reiterated a workshop for children titled ‘The Pen and the Keyboard’ at the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which got underway in Expo Centre Sharjah on November 6.
Palestinian voiceover artist and storyteller Tasmeen Ahmed, who is active on social media, first read out a story in Arabic to children aged six and above who gathered around her to emphasise how both pen and keyboard – traditional and modern systems – are equally useful for humans. They were then given colour pencils and paper with drawings of a pen and keyboard to colour according to their fancy. The children did a great job, each picture distinct from the other in terms of colour choices.
This exciting workshop confirms that an intelligent person can embrace everything new while at the same time preserving the authenticity that represents the roots of creativity, thus achieving a balance between heritage and modernity. By creating an awareness in children about their traditions and antiquity, the workshop helped them to respect the old ways as they embraced the new, the same way as SIBF manages to create a link between the past and the future and between books and modern means of entertainment.
SIBF 2024, a 12-day cultural extravaganza themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the fair is being held at Expo Centre Sharjah from November 6-17, and presents a comprehensive programme of 600 workshops for various age groups, including 465 sessions for adults and children and 135 for early childhood, covering heritage, media, entrepreneurship, technology, environment, arts, life skills, and creative writing.
