DUBAI, UAE —For the eighth year in a row, and under the slogan "In Arabic ... the tongue of the world," the annual activities of this initiative, organized by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, were launched.

The aim of this initiative is to promote the culture of communication in the Arabic language through social media and urge people to use it in all communication channels. The activities continued until Dec. 18, which coincided with the celebration of the International Day of the Arabic Language, as set by the United Nations on that date every year.

Jamal Bin Huwaireb, executive director of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation said: "Over the past years, the "In Arabic" initiative has contributed to promoting the use of the Arabic language among all members of society, and stated the extent of the Arab world's interest in protecting the Arabic language from the threat of marginalization and lack of use.

“This is clearly demonstrated every year through the great interaction with the initiative's activities.”

He added: "Amidst the emergency circumstances witnessed worldwide in the wake of COVID-19 and with social distancing measures, most people in our societies have turned to reading as a way to learn new things, especially with Arabic content on the Web. Our language has contributed to spreading knowledge in all fields and platforms.

“In its eight year, the "In Arabic" initiative supports these efforts once again and asserts the flexibility of the Arabic language, as well as its ability to keep pace with all developments at any time or place through a well-thought-out schedule of events specially prepared to comply with safety procedures, maintain individual health and reach the largest possible number of countries across the world".

The initiative's schedule saw virtual, interactive activities to maintain preventive measures taken by the government to limit the spread of COVID-19. This year's activities were launched through a single platform located at City Centre Mirdif in Dubai and continued until Dec. 18.

These activities included reading books, recording video clips for documentation, and communicating with a robot that speaks Arabic and takes instant photos of the audience. It also included writing the names of visitors in Arabic alphabet, as well as several competitions and other activities.

The initiative also organized another set of competitions through its social media channels.

"Obeid's Journey" was launched through the "In Arabic" virtual platform. The audience could take a trip around the world through the character of "Obeid", who will ask them questions during their journey.

Activities also included virtual workshops launched in early December to teach Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. In collaboration with the "Arab Voice" Radio of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the initiative launched the "Arab Eloquent" program.

Each episode introduces one Arab Eloquent, along with a simple explanation of a word contained in a poetic or prose text to clarify places of eloquence in it.

The "In Arabic" initiative aims to celebrate the Arabic language and contribute to restoring its leading position as a global language, in addition to enhancing its presence in various media outlets and social media sites, by urging the public to always use it in their daily lives. — PRNewswire