‘Youth activities, camps planned to mark Great Arab Revolt centennial’

AMMAN — As Jordan this year marks the centennial of the Great Arab Revolt, a series of activities, performances, youth camps and even digital games will be launched as of the end of this month to celebrate the anniversary, according to the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD).

A bus with pictures depicting the Great Arab Revolt will tour the country’s governorates and hold performances highlighting the values and principles of the revolt, such as dignity, Arab renaissance and independence, KAFD Director Saeb Al Hassan told The Jordan Times in an interview this week.

“The bus will tour villages, cities and towns across the country and gifts will be distributed to children where the performances will be held,” he said, adding that the tours will start in early April.

KAFD, in collaboration with the Gaming Lab, has also developed a digital game with a Great Arab Revolt theme that will be launched at the end of this month, according to Hassan.

“Players will be asked several questions on the Great Arab Revolt and the more correct answers they get, the more points they will earn. Those with high scores and points will get several rewards. The idea is to teach the principles and values of the revolt through edutainment,” he explained. 

More than 300 young Jordanians will also take part in six youth camps that KAFD will hold throughout the year. Participants will follow the track of the Great Arab Revolt, which was led by Sharif Hussein Bin Ali against Ottoman rule, starting from the south of the Kingdom to the northern region, Hassan said.

In addition, dialogue sessions on the values and principles of the Great Arab Revolt will be held throughout the year across 800 of the country’s schools, he noted.

KAFD will also invite applications to implement projects that fall in line with the values and principles of the 1916 Revolt under some of its programmes that extend support to individuals with ideas to serve their communities, Hassan added.

The We Are All Jordan Youth Commission, which is an affiliate of KAFD, will also conduct a series of activities and sessions on the Great Arab Revolt, he said.