Arab stars to interact with little fans at Sharjah Children's Reading Festival

Sharjah - Egyptian artist Ahmed Ameen was the editor-in-chief of Basim Magazine.

The Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) will be brightened this year by a galaxy of Arab stars, artists, performers and presenters who are hosts and stars of famous children's TV and radio programmes, and household names across the region.

Qatari artist Ghazi Hussein; Kuwaiti author Awatef Al Bader; Egyptian actress Hanan Turk; and Egyptian artist Ahmed Ameen

The ninth edition of the festival, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) from April 19-29 at Sharjah Expo Centre, will welcome Egyptian actress Hanan Turk, author Awatef Al Bader from Kuwait, Qatari artist and journalist Ghazi Hussein, and Egyptian artist and journalist Ahmed Ameen, among many others.

"We are delighted to have such a wealth of experience and unique talent at this year's SCRF and it is wonderful to give the youngsters a chance to meet these amazing artists," said Eman Ahmed, General Coordinator of SCRF's activities. "These people have played a very important part in a lot of children's lives and they hold them up as heroes and heroines."

Hanan Turk played successful roles in films and TV series that addressed key issues facing children, such as child displacement in Street Children, and the Egyptian action film Tito. She also addressed the issues that face specially-abled children in a TV series called Sarah, as well as school dropouts and illiteracy problems in the drama The Authorised Nona.

In 2005, she established Nona Studio Art and Media Production, which produces media and art projects for children and young adults, such as the Nona Magazine, the Animation Studio and the Art Workshop programme.

Qatari artist and journalist Ghazi Hussein presented many TV and radio programmes, most notably the hugely popular children's programme Sesame Street. He has won many awards for his remarkable performances throughout his career.

Egyptian artist Ahmed Ameen was the editor-in-chief of Basim Magazine. His TV series Bisint and Dyastty won the Creativity Award at the Cairo Arab Media Festival, and his career is as successful to this day.

Author Awatef Al Bader is a pioneer of children's theatre in Kuwait and across the wider GCC. Her career has a large portfolio of popular and distinctive plays, most notably, The Magic Carpet Theatre Show, which won the Al Fateh Festival Award in Libya.

The SCRF will be hosting the artists as part of its mission to support and develop children's art through the creative programmes of those artists who were so popular in all Arab cities and countries, as well as providing people with an opportunity to meet them.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Sharjah