Doha
29 November 2016

Education City recently played host to the National Reading Campaign’s ‘Characters’ Village’, with over 12,500 visitors enjoying a range of ‘edutainment’ activities inspired by the campaign’s six iconic storybook characters.

For five days, Qatar Foundation’s Ceremonial Court and Green Spine were transformed into mini worlds of fantasy and fun, with separate character zones built around Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Joha, Little Lulu, and Sinbad. The event forms part of a nationwide collaborative effort to foster a book-loving culture in Qatar.

Khalifa E. Al Kubaisi, Head of Press Office, Qatar Foundation, said: “This weekend’s ‘Characters’ Village’ has proven invaluable in reinforcing the National Reading Campaign’s primary objective, to cultivate a book-loving culture in Qatar. We want to inspire children to become excited about reading, as we firmly believe it’s fundamental to most cognitive learning processes.”

“We created separate zones for each of the campaign’s six characters. Utilising a ‘learning through play ’ approach, the event was specifically designed to engage the imaginations of local children by strengthening the message that reading can be fun, exciting and informative, and not only academic,” Khalifa told.

The National Reading Campaign will also hold a booth at the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) upcoming Ajyal Youth Film Festival taking place from 1 - 3 December at Katara Cultural Village. Children will be able to enjoy a number of exciting activities, such as themed storytelling sessions, interactive games like oversized jigsaws and Scrabble, and book hangouts.

Additionally, the National Reading Campaign’s six mascots will join in the Qatar National Day celebrations this year, at QF’s Darb El-Saai festivities from 8 December – 20 December.

‘Characters’ Village’ is part of QF’s popular National Reading Campaign. Championed by Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, the campaign is committed to engaging the community to inspire a new generation of book lovers.

For more information, please visit the National Reading Campaign website: www.powerofreading.qa