Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation working to promote creativity, culture

AMMAN — Further collaboration is required among local institutions to cater for the needs of the "growing" number of creative Jordanians, Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF) CEO Valentina Qussisiya, said.

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, she highlighted the AHSF's mission to support scientific research, culture and creativity as major contributors to a flourishing national economy, since its establishment in 1978 by the Arab Bank.

The foundation in itself was an embodiment of an entrepreneurial idea back then, where a private institution was concerned with supporting scientists and promoting culture, according to Qussisiya, who highlighted the AHSF's awards for local and Arab researchers.

Over the past 34 years, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers has been recognising a large number of Jordanian and Arab scientists and researchers, standing as the oldest award of its kind in the region, she noted.

"Many of the awarded researchers have reached senior positions in their fields," the CEO said, explaining that the award was given to young researchers, but was expanded two years ago to include Arab researchers of all ages.

Through its forum, established 29 years ago, the AHSF provides a cultural and intellectual public platform where thinkers and opinion leaders engage in public discussions on hot topics related to various social, economic and political issues.

"It is not simple to have established a free and sustainable platform for 29 years," Qussisiya said, attributing the forum's success to the "systematic and continuous" work of successive AHSF administrations.

She added that a large number of visitors attend the forum's weekly activities.

The foundation's library, which boasts over 500,000 titles, is a destination for some 20,000 visitors every month, according to the CEO, who noted that the facility is the first fully computerised library funded by the private sector in the country.

"Our vision for the library is to be a community centre that provides books, services and comfortable reading areas, rather than just a storage room for books," she said, highlighting regular reading events, book discussions and book-signing events.

The library features all kinds of books, databases, newspapers and magazines that are carefully selected after consulting visitors and field experts, all available for an annual refundable subscription of JD10.

"We consult our visitors regarding material of interest, book purchasing, working hours, services and training courses they are interested in," Qussisiya said, noting that all of the foundation's services are free of charge.

Over the past 25 years, the AHSF cinema has played a "significant" role in promoting film culture, by screening international award-winning movies and engaging the audience in discussions with local film critics.

International film weeks also host directors of foreign films and engage them in discussions with the audience to enhance the public's "learning experience", she said.

Due to the lack of literature targeting children, the annual Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Children's Literature seeks to encourage "genuine, entertaining and modern" literature for children, the CEO added. 

The award recognises emerging writers, poets and literary critics in the field of children's literature, she said. 

The AHSF children's library seeks to create a generation of avid readers, Qussisiya added and the number of visitors exceeds the capacity of the library.

Reaching out to governorates and peripheral areas is part of the foundation's mission to spread culture and knowledge, according to the CEO.

"It is our duty to reach out to residents of governorates who visit the forum and the library," Qussisiya said, citing the recent cultural week in Aqaba as an example

Funded by 3 per cent of the Arab Bank's revenues, the AHSF does not face financial challenges, but has problems related to the lack of supportive individuals and institutions willing to share its message, she added.

Furthermore, the region's political conditions hinder the foundation's ability to communicate with scientists, researchers and thinkers, according to Qussisiya.