Jordan Times
Monday, September 27, 2004
New children's book
promotes cultural identity
By Sarah Ryan
AMMAN — 'Tales from my Grandmother's Chest,' a children's book by Wafa Qusous
celebrating Jordanian and Palestinian culture is being launched this week in the
capital.
The book tells the story of Zain, a child who finds items of traditional
clothing, including a square of embroidery from the Palestinian national dress,
hidden in her grandmother's house.
A story within a story then unfolds as Zain's grandmother explains to her the
meaning and importance of this clothing and the craft.
Combining both Jordanian and Palestinian cultures, the story brings to life the
rich cultural heritage of the region as manifested in the embroidery — each
thread of which reveals a history that ties the present to the past, linking the
child with her cultural roots.
Qusous' story is based on her thesis theatre production `Heirloom,' written in
1989.
She got the idea after watching a play in the US showing an Arab father trying
the sell his daughter, who was covered in black, in marriage to the highest
bidder. She was upset at the stereotypes of Arab people. “Everyone was laughing
at it and I was furious,” she said.
Qusous wanted to show that the national dress of Jordan and Palestine was a
treasure and something to be proud of.
“It's something we look after and something that makes us special and different
from other cultures,” she said.
The new children's book is based on the original puppetry production, which was
performed in English in the USA, Italy and Spain, and in Arabic in Jordan and
Tunisia.
Everywhere the play was performed, people suggested she should write it as a
story. It was the first time many Arab audiences had seen a children's story
that resembled their own lives, said Qusous.
`Tales from my Grandmother's Chest' comes from Qusous' relationship with her own
grandmother, and the story highlights the important role grandparents can play
in the upbringing of their grandchildren.
“To reach children you have to be genuine and honest,” she explained.
The author said she hopes to translate the book into other languages because it
is important that children in other parts of the world get to know Arab culture.
The illustrations in the book are by Iraqi artist Lamia Abdul Saheb and are
based on the puppets used in the original theatre production.
`Tales from my grandmother's chest' is sponsored by the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation and will be launched at 6.00pm on Wednesday at Dar
Al Anda.
The book will be distributed throughout the region by the Arab Institute for
Research and Publishing and will be featured in book fairs in Kuwait, Doha,
Beirut, Frankfurt, Palestine and Amman.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the King Hussein
Cancer Centre to purchase books for a children's library.