2,000 Arabic books for 25 Swedish libraries
sharjah — Arab children in Sweden have been gifted with 2,000 Arabic books by the Kalimat Foundation for Children’s Empowerment (Kalimat Foundation). The books presented to Gothenburg Library in coordination with the Foreign Languages Section of the Stockholm Public Library will be distributed across 25 libraries across Sweden. The initiative is aimed to connect Arab children in Sweden with their mother tongue.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, founder and chairperson of Kalimat Foundation, highlighted that providing Arab child immigrants and refugees with books written in their own language enhances
It gives the opportunity to introduce arabic culture to their peers.” Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chairperson, Kalimat Foundation
their national identity and ensures emotional communication with their countries of origin. “It gives them the opportunity to introduce their rich Arabic culture and language to their peers in foreign countries and enables them to discover common human bonds.
“The responsibility of publishers and knowledge-makers in the Arab world goes beyond publishing and distributing books. It is becoming partners in the creation of many generations of readers and is enriching the experiences of displaced Arab children by providing them education and entertainment sources in their own language,” said Sheikha Bodour.
Fatin Dierki, chief librarian of the International Library in Stockholm, expressed her appreciation of the significant addition of titles, with the books being received at the Gothenburg Library in conjunction with the Gothenburg Book and Library Fair. From there, a collection of the books will be distributed to libraries across western Sweden.
“We thank Kalimat Foundation for children’s empowerment for supporting our library with these books, which will be available for all Arab children in Sweden to read. The International Library supports public libraries across Sweden with titles in different languages and from different cultures,” said Dierki.
From April 2016, Arabic has become the second most commonly spoken language in Sweden, displacing Finnish which had held the position for hundreds of years. According to the Swedish Central Bureau of Statistics (Statistika Centralbryan), the Syrian community is the largest of the Arab diaspora in Sweden, numbering 158,000 people, followed by the Iraqi community, which is estimated at 136,000 people.
The books will contribute to meeting the needs of Swedish children of Arab origin, as well as Arab immigrants and refugees in the Scandinavian countries, a total estimate of more than half a million people.