Foundations Newsletter

Foundations students from Dubai Women’s College were treated on March 5 to a lecture entitled “Folktales and Our National Identity” by renowned Qatari author and anthropologist Dr. Kaltham  Ali G Al-Ghanim,.  The event took place at the Intercontinental Hotel, adjacent to Dubai Festival City, and was part of the 7^th Edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which regularly attracts hundreds of authors from around the world.

“I think it was a great experience to (make) contact with the new generation and talk about their heritage and the importance of collecting that heritage, using the oral history method and utilizing intangible data, such as (in tales) and writing stories for children,” said Dr. Al-Ghanim.

Following Dr. Al-Ghanim’s comments, Level Three student Ghadeer Hamad said, “Ms. Kaltham taught us about old stories from the Gulf, and about Arabic vocabulary.”  Another student who enjoyed the presentation was classmate Afra Ahmed, who added:  “She taught us that we need to think about how to choose a book – – look at the title and think about it.”

Still, more students chimed in with opinions about their experience, with Nouf Salem stating “It was a great day for the students,” while Huda Moosa was equally impressed, saying “(The festival) created a wonderful time to learn.”