Dr. Aisha Belkhair Highlights the Importance of Grandmothers’ Stories and Reading for Knowledge and Self-Development

Dr. Aisha Belkhair, research advisor at the National Archives and Library, head of the oral history team, and head of the Young Historian Award Committee, confirmed that grandmothers’ stories find a place in memory, adding: “We used to write and remember those stories and recall them when needed, because they contain images, locations, and sayings that are not It lacks wisdom and life experiences.

Dr. Aisha explained – during a recent meeting organized by the Harf Club in the Archives and the National Library in Abu Dhabi – that her experience with reading began with Qur’an schools that were popular in the sixties, then she entered the school and curricula that taught stories that are still engraved in the memory, including the story of “The Lion and the Mosquito” and the story of “The Sultan’s Seal.” » And the stories of the Green Library for children, which were sold for three dirhams, “and we used to collect the Eid gifts to buy them,” as she put it, stressing that reading is the key to knowledge, as the one who reads can write smoothly, recalling expressions and vocabulary that make it easier for him.

She pointed out that reading myths and stories in which animals dialogue is important, as they revolve around different issues. The book “Kalila and Dimna” by Abdullah bin Al-Muqaffa, and the book “The Animal” by Al-Jahiz, are among her favorite books. “When the animal breaks its silence, to talk about human concerns, Such books contain many wisdoms and sermons, and they contain valuable messages and connotations that consolidate complex concepts in children and youth in simple and easy-to-understand ways and methods. Dr. Aisha continued: “In reading, there are discoveries, solitude with oneself, refining the soul, educating the mind, enhancing understanding, and sharing knowledge. From reading, self-confidence, thinking about the future, and the ability to imagine, analyze, and think outside the box are born.”

She touched on the efforts of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, to advance the Emirati people through education and spread the culture of society by codifying and documenting the elements of national identity. In this field, the National Archives and Library were established in 1968, and the Heritage Committee was established. History in 1972, and the UAE University in 1976.