Dubai, UAE, October 05, 2022: The Emirates Literature Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates University (UAE University) agreeing to cooperate in the exchange of data and information in the fields of literature and education. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ahlam Bolooki, Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, founder of the Kateb Maktub movement, and leader of the UAE Wikimedia User Group, and Prof. Ahmed Ali Murad, Associate Vice-Deputy for Scientific Research at UAE University.

The agreement will be fulfilled by the delivery of projects by both parties. Emirates Literature Foundation will facilitate the incorporation of Wikipedia in the education curriculum of the university. Wikimedians of the UAE User Group, a part of Emirates Literature Foundation, will work closely with student affairs to establish extracurricular Wiki Clubs, organise opportunities for students to engage in discussion about the Wikipedia policies of free and accessible information and arrange training for faculty and students hence creating a community of Wikipedia editors on campus. UAE University will provide research support for the Foundation’s Reading for Pleasure project. And they will match interested students with the Foundation for internship opportunities that contribute to the Foundation’s organizational objectives and fortifies their special projects and events.

Ahlam Bolooki, Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, founder of the Kateb Maktub movement, and leader of the UAE Wikimedia User Group said: “This MoU is the first step in what we anticipate to be a long and positive cooperation between the two parties. The strategy we have devised will support the development of technical skills for both the student body and the faculty and will contribute to the positive reputation building of the University in the Wikimedia community. And as a not-for-profit, our priority is to benefit from the talented pool of students that are upskilled and able to support us in nurturing a love of literature in the UAE and across the region through our various cultural initiatives.”

Prof. Ahmed Ali Murad, Associate Vice-Deputy for Scientific Research at UAE University, stressed that this cooperation comes in line with the university’s strategic objectives of preparing students to be become productive members and leaders in their societies, as the memorandum of understanding provides opportunities and tools for training to enrich the cultural and informational content of the UAE. In addition to encouraging students to volunteer and participate in searching for information and learning to edit it from the experts and specialists of the world's leading Wikimedia Foundation.

'We are pleased that our cooperation with the Emirates Literature Foundation is a starting point for many joint cultural and societal initiatives between the two institutions that foster the soft power by drawing on the capabilities and expertise of the two institutions. We are keen to contribute to instilling a culture of reading and writing because they play significant role in the nations’ progress and development.” The Associate Deputy for Scientific Research added.

With the Emirates Literature Foundation as its founding partner, the Wikimedians of the UAE User Group recently became a member of the Wikimedia community, making it the first user group in the Gulf. For more information about the Wikimedians of UAE User Group and their objectives, activities, and partnerships, visit their meta page. 

More information can be found online and year-round news of #EmiratesLitFest on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The Foundation also has two podcasts; the Best of the Emirates LitFest, and the Boundless Book Club. 
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