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Kalima Projects Launches 72 Books To Highlight Communication, Dialogue Among Civilisations |
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KALIMA, the translation project at Abu Dhabi Authority for culture and Heritage, announced the launch of a new initiative "People’s Cultures", which includes 72 books that will be launched immediately to celebrate the second anniversary of its foundation. The initiative, which will be presented for the first time to Arab readers, includes the translation of hundreds of tales and stories from the world’s popular heritage. "’Peoples’ Culture’ initiative comprises of seventy-two books that will be released at once, and includes the translation of hundreds of tales and stories from the world’s popular heritage," said Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). "Our vision is for Abu Dhabi to become a regional and international cultural hub" thanks to the strategic plan of the ADACH, launched for the period between 2008 and 2012," Al Mazrouei pointed out. "Translation and the process of cultural exchange in this regard are key components of this strategy and important elements in the civil development of the march of humanity, which provides capabilities that allow the promotion of our culture and the expansion of both our horizons and our relationships with others," he said, adding that ADACH has paid great attention to strengthening its capacities in this area, by means of its strategy. Mazrouei revealed that KALIMA wanted this huge project to be an expression of its spirit and unique approach. "’People’s Culture’ is a cognitive project that seeks to form a renewable and lasting relationship between Arab culture and the international human cultural producer," said Al Mazrouei. Thirty-two translators worked on this project. Some of them are professionals and have a lot of experience of translation work, whilst others are new translators. This is in line with KALIMA’s objectives: to look for and support new talent in the field of translation in addition to directly supervising their work. KALIMA seeks to provide Arab readers with the latest publications on the international scene. "This series combines the peoples’ heritage in terms of tales, legends and popular myths, and is consistent with the goals and values that have been set out by the KALIMA initiative from the beginning as a leading translation project in the Arab world," Said KALIMA Director Dr. Ali bin Tamim. "These goals and values that ADACH seeks to embody in order to spread a culture of tolerance and dialogue, build bridges between peoples and civilizations, promote the cultural depth that groups different races, nationalities and cultures and brings them together under one roof of culture, knowledge, and words that unite, but do not segregate," said bin Tamim. "But these peoples’ tales, which are brought for the first time to Arab readers with such comprehensiveness, intensity and breadth, are the consolidation of this common human project. "What humanity called globalisation in the past two decades has indeed been already achieved hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago through the tales that we find moving freely from one land to another, and from one tongue to another. These tales prompt changes here or there in order to suit the culture of this population, or the taste of that nation, or the circumstances of that group. "In some cases, we find the same story - with a change in names of people and places - being told in the Far East as is being told in the Far West, or North or South. "The most important feature of these tales is their ability to penetrate the geography, ethnic, psychological, political, religious and linguistic boundaries that are generated every time and in every people, in special and unique manners, which refer to the self’s uniqueness," he added. There are precisely seventy-two books that have been selected from books mainly written by prominent anthropologists in the late nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century, which was the peak of the rise of anthropology, when a large number of scientists explored the peoples’ heritage, and recorded and documented their stories before they became lost. The map of the countries included in these tales include: India, Bangladesh, Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Denmark, the Basque Province, Zuni Tribe, West Africa, Nigeria, Japan, China, Korea, Philippines, Russia, Australia, Canada, Indian Americans, the Ainu People, Czech Republic, Romania, Wales, Poland, Scotland, Tibet, Turkey, Serbia, Georgia, Eskimo, Gypsies, Hawaii ... And others. Project Coordinator and editor of "Peoples’ Culture", Samir Abu Hawash, said "We had first to choose these tales to be representative of most of the world’s cultures, a task undertaken by a number of experts who read hundreds of texts and books in order to choose what will be translated." "Then came the process of selecting translators and continuing work with them, because we wanted the language of translation, as far as maintaining the spirit of each translator and their language, to have common features. In other words, we do not want a strongly simplistic language, because we’re not only dealing with children’s books, but books for all ages," said Abu Hawash. "This work is also directed to all segments of society. It was necessary to ensure that the language was commensurate with these considerations, and with the logic of the narration at the same time," he noted. On the importance of presenting this project today to Arab readers, Abu Hawash said "The first important principle is to provide such an enormous number of stories at once. Secondly, it revives the popular tale that has been in decline for some time. Thirdly, and more importantly, these stories come at a time of war, divisions and conflicts to emphasize the great common human feature, which readers will discover, that extends for thousands of years," he added.
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