As part of its mission to spread knowledge to community members, the latest edition of the Reading Box organised by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), under the School of Life umbrella, has proven to be a success, reflecting the Authority’s efforts to ensure culture, knowledge and literature is made available to community members everywhere.

This year’s Reading Box provided 51 different activities – ranging from reading sessions, panels, and creative and interactive workshops – that attracted 2,753 visitors from different age groups and nationalities, including 42 people of determination. This confirms the importance and uniqueness of the initiative’s programme, which comes as part of Dubai Culture's efforts to encourage reading and make it an everyday habit, as well as demonstrating its commitment to support the National Literacy Strategy 2016-2026, which aims to consolidate cultural values ​​in society, and support all fields of culture, including arts and literature.

The activities, which were held at the Central Galleria in City Centre Mirdif over 10 days, witnessed the participation of 1,264 creatives, all of whom shed light on the local cultural scene. Public satisfaction with the activities was 94% on the happiness index, reflecting the uniqueness of the initiative that supports public library programmes enriching community members’ knowledge with different educational and entertainment programmes.

347 visitors to the Reading Box participated in its social media competition, and 11 new books (seven in Arabic and four in English) were published during the initiative – covering a wide range of topics. In addition, the activities witnessed the participation of a number of authors who took the visitors on a memorable cultural, literary and creative journey in storytelling, including chef Nigel Lobo, Zelmaré Viljoen, Khadijah Kudsi, Naouel Chaoui, Darren Taylor, Sharavati Choksi and Zeeshahn Fezi, among others.