Literary Festival 'Spreads the Word' to Middle East schools

The competition has been developed to add another dimension to the festival and form an exciting and inclusive part of EAIFL's 'Education Day'. The theme for the competition is 'The Sea' in recognition of the Middle East's affinity with boats, pearling, fishing and trade.

Isobel Abulhoul, Director of EAIFL and Magrudy's, explains: "The Arab world has a history steeped in literature, especially poetry. We want to foster and recognise both Arabic and English written talent and we are holding the first event in the region to promote this in an international context.

"One of the most important aspects of EAIFL is to celebrate literature and to make the festival as inclusive as possible. One of the primary goals of EAIFL is to highlight the importance of literacy and to join with the many initiatives that are in place to boost literacy within the Arab world."

According to UNESCO 40% of adults in the Arab region today are illiterate. Projections show that if current efforts continue, 28% of the region's population will still be illiterate in 2015.

"We are engaging with regional Arabic and English speaking schools to encourage students to participate in this competition. The winning entries will be published as a collection of works, which will be signed by some of the most prominent authors attending the festival," said Abulhoul. Authors confirmed to attend the event include Wilbur Smith, Kate Adie, Khaled Alkhamissi and Frank McCourt.

The 'story writing competition' submissions will be judged by a panel of literary experts with the winners each receiving a copy of the signed edition.

EAIFL is the first literary festival ever to offer a dedicated 'Education Day'. The final day will focus on promoting the development of literary understanding through workshops, readings and seminars.

"This is an excellent opportunity for regional students to showcase their talents on an international platform, with some of the world's best authors present. We want the festival to be as inclusive as possible and give the community an engaging, educational and most importantly enjoyable event,"

added Abulhoul.

EAIFL will take place between 26th February and 1st March 2009, at Dubai Festival City. There will also be a series of fringe events around the city organised by local schools, universities and social clubs.