Children's Programming

Immerse yourself in the story of a beloved cultural figure from the Arab world through storytelling, play, and hands-on making in this family-friendly Noor's Heroes™ storytime and studio session.

Continuing the spring’s series, this summer, families with children of all ages are invited to join us for Noor's Heroes, an interactive storytime and studio series inspired by the children's books by cultural strategist, editor, and writer Myrna Ayad. Together, we'll discover influential figures from the Arab world through a live reading with the author, followed by a hands-on studio activity led by artists from the 421 community that invites us to creatively explore the ideas, practices, and legacies highlighted in each story.

In this third and final session of the season, we explore the life and legacy of Umm Kulthum, the iconic Egyptian singer whose voice shaped the sound of an entire era and whose music continues to define cultural identity across the Arab world and beyond.

Following the storytime, artist Andrew Riad will lead a studio session inspired by Umm Kulthum's poetic legacy. Families will experiment with Erasure Poetry, uncovering new poems hidden within existing ones, before assigning sounds to the images and words within them and performing together as a collective Sound Poetry Orchestra. Through writing, sound-making, and live performance, participants discover how poetry moves through the body and how a room full of voices can become a symphony.

Lunch is provided by 421 Arts Campus.

Families will leave with a deeper connection to Umm Kulthum, a hands-on experience with poetry and sound performance, and a complimentary copy of the Noor's Heroes™ book explored during the session.

Accessibility & Participation

Lunch will be provided.

Suitable for families with children of all ages

Language: English

About Noor’s Heroes

Noor’s Heroes™ is a children’s book series by cultural strategist, editor, and writer Myrna Ayad, celebrating women and men from, or influenced by, the Arab world whose lives have left a lasting mark on culture, knowledge, and community. Inspired by the author’s daughter Noor - whose name means “light” - the series was created to celebrate remarkable figures from the Arab world, from the past and present, who followed their path with courage, creativity, and conviction. Each book is a beautifully illustrated journey into the life of an inspiring individual, brought to life through engaging storytelling and visuals by designers from across the Arab world. Published in separate English and Arabic editions, Noor’s Heroes™ nurtures curiosity, cultural pride, and imagination - encouraging children to see themselves in stories of possibility and to believe they, too, can shape the world around them.

About the Instructor

For over two decades, Myrna Ayad has authored, edited, and contributed to several books, magazines and dailies on visual art and culture from the Arab world and Iran. A frequent panellist, jurist, and moderator, her role as an independent cultural strategist allows her to work on projects within the luxury sector, government entities, private companies, and non-profit organisations. She is the founder and author of Noor’s Heroes™, a series of illustrated children’s books focused on Arab greats. Based in the UAE for over four decades, Ayad is a graduate of the American University in Dubai and lives in Dubai with her husband and two children.

About the Artist 

Andrew Riad is a Cairo-born multidisciplinary artist and poet of Coptic Nubian Egyptian heritage, with a focus on poetry, research, performance, and play.

An alumnus of the Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship and MFA graduate of Pratt Institute, the 25-year-old uses language, archive, and sound to surface silenced histories and reimagine the past.