Instinctively, the Emirati creator, Asma Al Shamsi, was drawn to everything that was educational, educational, awareness-raising, and fun for children. Until she joined the “Majid” world at the end of 2018, and practiced various fields of artistic media work, including “puppet animation,” which she mastered and delved into its details, because, as she says, it is a world that combines imagination and reality. and you
Instinctively, the Emirati creator, Asma Al Shamsi, was drawn to everything that was educational, educational, awareness-raising, and fun for children. Until she joined the “Majid” world at the end of 2018, and practiced various fields of artistic media work, including “puppet animation,” which she mastered and delved into its details, because, as she says, it is a world that combines imagination and reality. As a result of reading, which she loves, she has a good vocabulary and imaginative ideas, which brings her closer to the world of children. She began writing narrative stories in “The Magazine,” through which she addresses social topics with a psychological and emotional dimension for children, within imaginary events in the world of animals. Al-Shamsi is not satisfied with the information she provides to the child through these stories about the natural life of different animals, but rather sends between her lines what It enhances the moral, social and educational values of the child, through a creative fabric of relationships between the story’s characters. Recently, Al Shamsi won the Arab Journalism Award in the Children’s Journalism category, and from here we begin our dialogue with her:
Tell us about winning the Arab Journalism Award!
I participated in the Arab Journalism Award, by submitting 4 short narrative stories. These stories were part of a new series of short stories, which began to be published in “Majid” magazine in February 2023. These stories carry many goals, and educational, social, and psychological values, through which we address many issues and situations. What a child today may go through, with the aim of leaving him with an implicit message, carried by the characters of the story, and living with its exciting events. My participation in this competition was with the support and guidance of the editor-in-chief of the magazine, who had great credit, after God Almighty, in obtaining this award, which the entire “Majid” magazine team deserves.
How did you discover your talent for writing children’s literature?
Frankly, I did not know about this talent, but reading many stories and delving deeply into the world of children in various fields, including: preparing programs for children and recording voices for cartoon series, built within me a good linguistic vocabulary and imaginative ideas that contributed to my writing of stories being close to them. And they like it.
How did you begin your journey with puppetry, and what attracted you to the world of children?
I began my journey in this field, after I held my first “puppet” in my hand during my university studies in New York City, and I never imagined that one day I would be part of the puppeteer team on the “Iftah Ya Simsim” program, which is broadcast on the “Majid” channel, and move one of its main characters. . I was, and still am, interested in everything that is educational, educational, awareness-raising, and fun for the child, and the world of “puppets” was one of the means that attracted me to learn it, and delve into its details, as it is a world that combines imagination and reality, so how can a puppet communicate with a child, dialogue with him, and sing, And play with him.
The magic of the “doll”
What dolls have you moved that were challenging or interesting for you?
After my return to the Emirates, I worked on an awareness and educational program on ways to deal with children of determination. The goal of this program was to increase awareness among society about all disabilities, both mental and motor, and to integrate those with disabilities into society in a way that enables everyone to deal with them comfortably. The puppets in that program were not designed in a comfortable way to grip the mouth from the inside, and while moving them I felt pain in my shoulder and difficulty moving the mouth.
What story, or themes, do you like to cover during your puppet shows?
The doll has a special charm that attracts the audience through its distinctive voice, color, shape, and even personality. Every doll has an identity that I must adhere to. So that she does not go out of her own world. As for the topics, I introduce the doll to all available topics, as appropriate to her personality and the age group I am dealing with.
What steps have you taken? To improve your puppeteering skills, have you received formal training?
While I joined the “Iftah Ya Sesame” program in 2014, which was sponsored by “Mubadala” and produced by “Bedaya Media”, I received special training from “Sesame Street”. The training was in Abu Dhabi at Two Four 45 studios. In the past, I moved the puppets in all the programs with my personal effort, and by watching some videos on YouTube.
Promoting moral values
What were the first reactions from friends and family;
When they saw your puppet work? Some were anticipating the showing of the “Iftah Ya Simsim” program. To get to know the character of “Shams”, and others were surprised when they learned about it after the program was shown, and I found the beautiful effect through the influence of “Shams” on the children, as they try to imitate her, and imitate her in eating healthy food, exercising, and loving reading.
“Majid” channel and magazine constitute a real platform for Arab children. Tell us about your experience in it, and the most important work that you do!
I joined “Majid World” at the end of 2018, and entered into many creative fields for the children’s world, including: preparing episodes for programs produced and shown on the channel, and conducting interviews with talented personalities from the Arab world in various magazines; To be on the pages of the magazine, I also trained children who wanted to enter the field of media presentation to stand in front of the camera. Recently, I have been publishing narrative stories in the magazine at the rate of one story every month. These stories deal with social, psychological, and emotional topics for children, within imaginary events in the world of animals. Through these stories, the child learns about the natural life of various animals, and we also reinforce his moral, social, and educational values. Through the relationship of the characters in the story to each other.
The Arabic language is at the top of the priorities for supporting national identity.. What is the importance of educational programs and the arts in conveying what we love to children?
When the program is prepared in a way that resembles the child’s world, it becomes easy to deliver the information to him, consolidate it in his mind, and will make it easier for him to understand and interact with it, and this – in my opinion – is the basis of every successful work presented to our children today.
A very lucky generation
Do you think there is a deficiency in the child’s serious approach to educating him or discovering his talents?
Quite the contrary, this generation is very fortunate to have many opportunities, educational, literary, artistic, sporting, and other fields. Today, we see many prominent children, whose names shine in the skies of creativity and excellence, during the initiatives, competitions and events that the country is witnessing, locally and globally.
How do you see the future of “puppeteering” in the Emirates, and how can it develop in the future?
I hope to create a center that provides many services in the field of puppetry, and by this I mean that there will be many departments, including: a department for making puppets, a department for teaching the art of puppetry, and a department specialized in creating educational and entertaining content for children and adults as well. The center includes amateurs, talented people, and specialists in the world of puppetry. Writing, production, puppetry, voice actors, and those with experience in sewing, handicrafts, and art. Educational and entertainment bodies will benefit from this center in producing purposeful content in a creative and distinctive way.
Tell us about your ambitions and future projects!
I aspire to produce a series of short stories, aimed at children aged 2 to 4 years, and another series of short stories, directed to children aged 7 to 9 years.
What advice do you have for young people who want to enter the field of puppeteering and performing arts?
The field of puppetry is very interesting, and whoever has the desire to enter it must learn the correct way to move the puppet, and he must also study the personality of the puppet that he will move well; So that he can present it to the audience in an appropriate manner, and deliver meaningful messages to them in a fun and endearing way.
