Zaki Nusseibeh Keynote Speech: The Act of Learning to Read is the Beginning of a Fulfilled Life

(Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (

                                                               Emirates Literature Festival

11th May, 2025

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to stand before you today to speak about one of the most powerful forces in human life: the act of learning to read.

We are all here because we believe in something profound: that books and reading are essential. Today, we ask not only why this matters, but how we can carry this message into the society around us.

Learning to read is not simply a skill: it is a beginning. Learning to read is the first step toward a fulfilled life; it is the starting point for everything that follows. Why? Because it opens doors to knowledge, connection, and imagination. Above all it is the key to the capacity to understand ourselves in relation to the world around us.

The moment a child begins to recognize the shapes of a script, when he forms words, and when he connects them to meaning – this is the moment that a child embarks on a lifelong journey.

And as we read, we don’t just grow in understanding – we grow into ourselves.

Reading as children shapes who we become. The stories we encounter early in life act as maps, mirrors, and mentors. These stories show us the world, teach us to look, they reflect who we are, and they teach us to dream, to be curious, and to care.

The stories we absorb as young readers introduce us to what it is like to be someone different, to what is possible, and to what is complex. The characters we meet in books become our companions. They provoke us to wonder and explore alongside them, and they prompt us to share their experiences of pain and hope.

Books are our companions in solitude, they connect us to what is around us, and they engage us with life and the future.

Books give us language for our thoughts, our understandings, and our dreams. Books are a source of facts and knowledge, and they hold our history, our culture, and our aspirations.

Books are sparks for the imagination. They allow the reader to travel across galaxies, through time, into the depths of the ocean, and into the heart of another person. A book teaches us not only to see the world, but to imagine it differently. Every great innovation, every breakthrough, every change begins first in the imagination. And the imagination begins with stories.

When we read, we also shape our identity.

To read a book is to encounter oneself. Interpreting a book is a form of self-revelation. We do not all read the same book in the same way. A writer may put pen to page, but it is the reader who brings their own mind, their own life, to the words.

This is the quiet magic of literature: each interpretation is a unique experience; each reading is never the same twice. And this makes a book an open dialogue. A book invites us in and we rewrite the book in the context of our own experience.

This is why ancient texts still speak to us today. We read the words of poets, philosophers, prophets, and playwrights who lived thousands of years ago, and we place them in the context of our lives today. When we read stories from centuries ago, we find elements of what is timeless in the human spirit, and we give it new meaning. Somehow, we still find a truth that resonates with new relevance today.

And so, we carry a great responsibility.

If we stop reading, the voices of the past fall silent. When books are forgotten, cultures fade. Civilizations have always been built on what they choose to remember, to think about, and to use as inspiration. Books are the source of this generative force.

We must also celebrate the physical book.

We must celebrate the feel of paper, the quiet turning of a page, the presence of a book in the home. We must not forget the beauty of a book that can be held, smelled, annotated, and shared.

We must nurture places where books are held. A room of books; a library; a box; a shelf.

The places where books are held are archives of human memory. They are homes for the imagination. They safeguard the hopes and voices of generations past and generations to come. They must be protected, supported, and loved.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Our issue today is that we cannot access the treasures of books unless we read. It is by reading that we are enriched by books.

And so our major role, as lovers of books, is to inspire reading – to keep books alive.

We are the messengers of how reading gives us access to the creative power of books. We must inspire the next generation to treasure books emotionally, intellectually, and quizzically.  We must teach children that when they read a book, they give it life.

And we must remember where reading begins – it begins in the family. Parents reading to children. Grandparents passing down stories. Siblings sharing a favorite tale. The act of reading together is a profound expression of love. It tells a child that stories matter, that words matter, that imagination matters, and that language matters. Also, reading to a child is a gift that tells them that they matter.

In many of our communities, reading happens in more than one language.

Multilingual environments for reading bring both challenges and extraordinary opportunities. In a multilingual environment, children are not only learning to decode words. They also learn to navigate between cultures.

The reward is profound: multilingual readers grow up with an expanded world view. They learn that there is more than one way to tell a story, that there is more than one word for love, that there are multiple ways to describe what it means to be human.

Reading for pleasure in different languages builds bridges between cultures and within the self because it enables a child to identify and carry all the diverse parts of their life experience – their identity – with pride. It allows that child to express the diversity of their encounters and learning.

And so when we nurture reading in more than one language, we help raise individuals who are more open, more adaptable, more critical, and more empathetic.

So let us teach our children to read, not only for success, but for joy. Let us protect our libraries, our books, and our storytellers. And let us remember always: to learn to read is to begin to live fully.

But today, we need more than reflection on reading. We need to act.

To teachers: Nurture the spark. Make room in your classrooms for wonder, joy, and exploration with words. Let every child believe that they are readers and that stories are for them.

To parents: Read aloud. Make it a ritual. A bedtime story, a moment after dinner, a book kept in your bag. Your voice is the first library your child will ever know. Value the time spent with your child. Allow them the experience of your joy and interpretation – and ask them to share their own.

To librarians: Be the guardians of imagination. Be champions of curiosity. Keep your shelves alive with voices old and new. Keep your doors open wide. Make your library the beating heart of a community and remind your communities that the library and its books are for everyone.

To universities: In the UAE we celebrate our researchers who are investigating how young people read and how to promote their reading. We thank you for your passion. Let us also create curricula that have reading at their heart – so that students learn that reading is the foundation of every discipline, every discovery, and everydream.

To neighbors and citizens: Share books, start conversations, and donate stories. Build a culture where reading is visible: in the car, on the bus, in the park, and at the café. A reading society is a connected and vibrant society.

And to students: Take the book into your hands and let it shape you. Know that every time you read, you grow in knowledge, in depth, in empathy, and in vision. Let reading connect you to your identity and your future.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Let us create a world where reading is expected, is celebrated, and is everywhere. Let us raise a generation who understand that joyful, meaningful reading is the beginning of a truly fulfilled life.

 Thank you