Author Nominee: Egypt

Fatima el Maadul
Egypt, Author

Fatima el Maadul was born in 1948 in Cairo, where she still lives. Today she is a prominent composer, a theatre director and an author with more than 50 books to her name. A pioneer in the field of children's culture, her interest in the area commenced in 1968 when she was still a student. She has worked with governmental and national organisations, and, especially through her writing, has spoken about the rights of children, including the importance of educating girls in rural Egypt and the rights of handicapped children to a good life.

She organised the first conference for Egyptian children named 'Dreaming for Egypt', in which over a hundred children from all over Egypt participated. Since then she has organised many events for young people, especially those with special needs, street children and marginalised children, and has held the post of head of the National Centre of Children's Culture. She has also been involved with theatre and cinema productions that involve children, and especially emphasises those with special needs.

Her books also reflect her engagement with marginalised young people. 'Zeina goes to the Moon' concerns a village girl of 15 who wanted to learn to read and write rather than spend her life inhibited by her traditional female domestic role. How she achieves her ambition is recounted in the book, which, like her other publications, provides an example of how disadvantage and difficult circumstances may be overcome.

Fatima el Maadul has in her writing provided stories that may help or even inspire children to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances, and through her work with various agencies has provided many young people with the means to do this.