Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) announced on Wednesday the launch of Katara Novel and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competition as part of the 11th Katara Festival for Arabic Novels.
Khalid Abdulrahim Al Sayed, Director of Events and Cultural Affairs at Katara and General Supervisor of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, explained that the competition comes within the framework of the award’s new projects and initiatives in its second decade, as it is a pioneering initiative that keeps pace with the boom in the use of artificial intelligence.
He added that the idea of the competition is based on converting unpublished novels and unpublished historical novels into films using artificial intelligence tools under specific conditions, capitalizing on the valuable contributions generated by the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel over the eleven years since its launch.
In a related development, Katara Publishing House organized Wednesday four new publications, ranging from novels to environmental and health cultures, as part of the third Katara Book Fair, held on the sidelines of the festival.
Sheikh Hassan bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Abdullah Al-Thani signed two books: the first, a second edition containing qualitative additions to “Birds of the Desert in the Qatari Environment,” and the second, “Birds of Qatar,” aimed at young adults. Jordanian author Hana Al Bawab led a discussion session with the author about the importance of cultural heritage in strengthening national identity.
The young writer Moza Al Ahbabi also signed her novel “A Melody Not Written by the Winds.” Al Ahbabi is the youngest Qatari author to publish a novel.
Faiza Mohammed Ibrahim signed her book “Everything You Want to Know About Multiple Sclerosis to Improve Culture and Health Awareness Against the Disease.”
Meanwhile, two training workshops were held at the Katara Library for Arabic Novels. The first, titled “Historical Novels: Writing Techniques,” lasted for three days, and the second, titled “Young Adult Novels and Fine Art.”
Khalid Al-Muhannadi, Director of the Katara Library for Arabic Novels, said that the library is an initiative of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel and the only library specializing in novels and novel criticism studies in the Arab region.
He noted that the library houses more than 15,000 novels and critical studies, and organizes weekly dialogue sessions and book signings for novels and literary books, in addition to workshops on the techniques of novel writing and viewing sessions for novels adapted into films.
