The 4th Online Festival of Reading organized by Attar Cultural Center is underway in virtual space.
Nowadays, as children spend more time online and in the virtual world, the festival is seizing the opportunity to inculcate and promote the habit of reading among them, said Secretary of the Association of Writers for Children and Youth, Masoumeh Ansarian.
Describing the festival as “influential,” she said kids love electronic devices and therefore, such events help elicit children’s love for reading, Mehr News Agency quoted her as saying.
Promotion of reading is essential and should be encouraged by competent authorities such as the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ministry of Education, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, municipalities and cultural centers, Ansarian noted.
The habit of reading books online or in print should be cultivated, she stressed.
Today’s kids are steeped in the virtual world, which provides easy access to a wide range of information. “If their access to the digital world is wisely managed and programmed, they can hugely benefit from reading,” she said.
Copyright is a major issue. Although Iran doesn’t follow international copyright rules, “we hope the online festival observes copyright in publication.”
The festival commenced on July 11 and will run through September 21.
The Association of Writers for Children and Youth is a nonprofit NGO.
Founded in 1999 by nine writers in children’s literature, the association has 300 writers, poets, translators, researchers, critics and journalists as members.
Protecting independence and legal rights of writers, providing opportunities for training and cultural promotion of writers of children’s books, holding meetings and workshops and providing a platform for writers by arranging meetings and trips, are among the policies and goals of the AWCY.
