Tonga’s Fable chosen for the Dubai Expo 2020’s International Digital Children Book Featured
25 September, 2020. The Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Exposition to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and it will be the largest ever world event to take place in the Arab world with 192 confirmed countries to participate, plus businesses, multilateral organizations and educational establishments.
With the evolving COVID-19 Pandemic currently causing global disruptions and national borders being closed, the EXPO 2020 Dubai will now run from 01st October 2021 to 31st March 2022.
The Expo 2020 Dubai retains its name and theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, but currently adapting to the new norm of working remotely with all the international participants including the Kingdom of Tonga on the ongoing preparations.
One of the initiatives to mark the Expo 2020 Dubai is the launching of an international digital children’s book comprising of short-stories and folktales from 24 nations across the globe, chosen from the 192 confirmed countries that will participate at the Expo 2020 Dubai.
This will be the first digital book of children’s tales and folklores from around the world to be showcased at a World Expo. The Kingdom of Tonga is one of the 24 nations that have been chosen to provide one of its short-story or fable story for this international digital children’s book.
A few Tongan Authors along with some Old Tongan publications were consulted by the Commissioner-Generals for the Tonga National Expo 2020 Committee and the Tonga Embassy Staff, to select a Tongan Fable or Short- Story suitable for the international digital children’s book. A Tongan Fable with a contemporary moral message for the young audiences of the Expo 2020 Dubai.
From the island of Niuafo’ou the story of “The Worm and Whale” has been chosen by the Dubai Expo Committee for the Expo 2020 Dubai’s Digital Children’s Book.
The Commissioner-Generals for the Tonga National Expo 2020 Committee and the Tonga Embassy Staff in Abu Dhabi continues to work remotely with the Dubai Expo Committee on the theme for Tonga’s Pavilion which will be revealed soon, but it will also compose of a thematic themes on Youth, Energy, Environment Conservation and also Trade & Investments.
The Tonga National Day 2021 (4th of November, 2021) will be held at the Kingdom of Tonga Pavilion during the Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase the uniqueness of Tonga’s Culture and Traditions along with the other thematic themes of the Tonga Pavilion for the Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Commissioner-Generals and the Tonga National Committee 2020 Expo will collaborate with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development (MTED); MEIDECC; and the Ministry of Education and Training to organize a joint- Workshop to be held in Tonga for all interested parties who would want to participate and showcase their businesses, innovation and resorts at the Tonga Pavilion during the EXPO 2020 Dubai.
To download the digital EXPO 2020 Children’s Book please press the following link:
The Tonga National Expo 2020 Committee would like to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Lisala Halapua and the Children from the Vava’u Public Library for providing the illustrations for the Tongan Fable.
