A fortnight ago I attended the opening of the new and fabulous Iqra Library in Muharraq, opposite the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research, a true celebration of children's literature and reading.
The library, in addition to being a stunningly beautiful building architecturally, will serve as a reading house for children between the ages of six and 12 - a more than welcome move and one that will surely have an impact on encouraging the young ones to pick a book up and read.
It is one of a number of initiatives adopted by culture and national heritage assistant under-secretary Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, who is perhaps one of the strongest advocates of art, culture and literature in the country and a woman who obviously has the foresight to realise the importance of these elements in the progression of the local community and notably Bahrain's younger generation.
The interior design is simple, contemporary yet grounded in tradition. There are the actual library, computer hallway and gallery hall. It makes perfect use of a small space with calm and soothing decor. The library space has shelves full of children's books, in Arabic and English, from science-fiction and art to fairytales and learning books.
It would be interesting to see the sort of titles the library features, to have children's books by local and regional authors alongside the great classics of the eccentrically wondrous world of Roald Dahl. Iqra should be a perfect place to get local authors involved by bringing them in for readings and storytelling sessions on a regular basis, which would also give the children a chance to meet the authors and spend time with them.
And I am sure there are a number of Bahraini writers who would and should be involved in such a programme. (I shall be one of the first to volunteer to be part of it!). The Arabic word Iqra means 'read'. It was the very first word from the Quran that was delivered to the Prophet Mohammed, signifying the importance of reading and how celebrated it is in Islam. And it seems only fitting to have chosen this word to name the library, showing not only the importance of this act but also its relation to the local culture.
Our culture has always been rich with literature, but perhaps over the past few decades reading, for some reason or the other, has taken a back seat. Lack of reading activities for pleasure, as apposed to studying, could be to blame. Many of us, growing up, came to look at it as something solely associated with school work, and thus unattractive.
But with such projects as the Iqra Children's Library, this could all change. It has the potential to contribute enormously in reshaping young people's attitude towards reading from a very early stage and introduce them to the fabulous world of literature in a fun environment. Shaikha Mai has already provided Bahrain's young ones with a reading oasis that they all can enjoy and benefit from.
It will certainly be interesting to see how this library progresses and what sort of response it will get from the public, as well as the various programmes it will introduce over the coming months and years. Meanwhile, though, I suggest you go down to the old capital and visit it - just don't forget to take the kids with you!
*Appeared in GDN Vol XXIX, NO. 223, Sunday, 29th October 2006
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