Arabic New Media Initiative Revives Fawazir Ramadan Tradition
ArabNet, the hub for Arab digital professionals and entrepreneurs to connect and learn,marked the launching of an innovative Arabic new media campaign highlighting past and present Arab geniuses on Monday.
"Modeled on the traditional Fawazir Ramdan, but with a modern twist, the campaign is designed as a series of episodes published exclusively online and in Arabic" ArabNet said in a press release.
"The web-series, Fawazir ArabNet, aims to grow the Arab web community in a lighthearted and modern way, emphasizing the intellectual potential of the region. It is the latest initiative by ArabNet, the hub for Arab digital professionals and entrepreneurs to connect and learn",it added.
Omar Christidis, founder of ArabNet said: "By presenting some of the region’s greatest thinkers as role models that the Arab youth can aspire to, through an appealing Arabic new media campaign, Fawazir ArabNet aims to inspire a wave of entrepreneurship and further Arab engagement on the web."
Every Monday and Thursday during the month of Ramadan, one webisode will be released on the Fawazir ArabNet microsite (ramadan.arabnet.me) at 10 AM, presenting the audience with a challenging riddle about an Arab genius interwoven into a one-minute sketch. New media channels such as youtube, Facebook, and twitter will be leveraged to reach out to the community with spontaneous clues, teasers and messages, all in the Arabic language.
"We're really excited about the Fawazir as a way of contributing to the growth of high-quality Arabic content online," said Christidis. The significance of this project becomes especially clear, when considering that less than 1% of the Internet's content is in Arabic.
Followers of the series will be able to submit their answers on the Fawazir ArabNet microsite, and those who answer correctly will have the chance to win valuable cash prizes sponsored by Bank Audi, including $400 given to one participant who answers correctly for each webisode, $800 given at the end of the project to a participant who answers four or more riddles correctly, and a grand prize of $1000 given to a participant who answers all 8 riddles correctly.
"In the giving spirit of Ramadan, ArabNet will be donating $1 to Somalia for every answer submitted, whether right or wrong, to help alleviate the famine currently afflicting the country, highlighting the importance of using social media channels to mobilize for positive charitable causes," the press release concluded.
Arabnet runs a series of events across the region aimed at growing the web industry and launching new digital startups. For two consecutive years, ArabNet has held an international conference, the ArabNet Shift Digital Summit, which is widely acknowledged as the most important event for the Internet sector in the Middle East. Additionally, ArabNet has just launched its Startup Database, the most comprehensive data registry for startups and web professionals in the Middle East. Also, ArabNet has kicked off its "Developers Program Database" which aims at connecting talented developers and designers with regional startups. ArabNet is evolving its online presence to be the leading online content portal for web professionals, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts, featuring news and analysis.
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