Preparation of the 38th IBBY World Congress 2022 in Putrajaya, Malaysia

At the closing ceremony of the 37th IBBY World Congress in Moscow, an invitation to attend the 38th IBBY World Congress, was presented by the President of the Putrajaya Corporation and included films that gave a brief look at the city of Putrajaya and of demonstrations of national dances. After the online presentation, the Malaysian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Dato’ Bala Chandran, spoke to the participants. Maria Vedenyapina, the head of the Russian State Children’s Library passed on the traditional ‘baton’ to the Ambassador as a symbol of a smooth transition to the next Congress. The ‘baton’ took the form of a wooden bird that is traditional in Russia as well as in Malaysia. The Ambassador warmly invited everybody present in Moscow and the online participants to travel to Putrajaya next year for the 38th IBBY Congress.

The 38th IBBY World Congress will be held in Putrajaya, Malaysia on 5-8 September 2022 and is organized by the Malaysian Section of IBBY (MBBY). The current MBBY section has been an active member of IBBY since 2001, holding activities for children, as well as regularly participating in the international IBBY awards and activities. The section is in close contact with its members as well as with IBBY International. The current President of MBBY, Redza Khairuddin was elected to the IBBY Executive Committee in 2006 and served until 2010, when he was elected IBBY President serving from 2010 to 2014. Redza was re-elected to the Executive Committee in 2018. In 2017, MBBY presented a successful bid to host the 38th IBBY Congress in Malaysia’s capital, Putrajaya and the preparations began. It is the first IBBY World Congress to be held in Southeast Asia, we look forward to discovering the country and culture, as well as sharing insights with participants from all over the world.

Have a look at their presentation video here.

The main theme for the Congress is “The Power of Stories”, which refers to the bridges between different cultures through common stories across the world. It intends to show how powerful a children’s book can be in matter of understanding oneself and others, its own culture and that of the world.

The programme organizers have divided this theme into various subthemes, which, while not exhaustive, aim to guide potential speakers in their choice of topics.

The subthemes are:

  1. Cognitive Power in Children’s Development (Roles of books and stories in cognitive development; Language, Learning and Literacy; Story-based approaches to teaching and learning; Learning disabilities; Reading for pleasure.)
  2. Stories for Healing for Children and Young Adult (Bibliotherapy for children and young adult; Creative writing and reading; Reading and books for children with disabilities.)
  3. Power of Visual and Oral Presentation in Children’s and Young Adult Stories (Topics related to picture books, illustration, video, graphic, animation and multimedia; Storytelling as a performance art/art form; Power of spoken word, text, audio, or other artifacts, i.e. original multimedia.)
  4. Bridging Divides in Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Multicultural and multilingual themes in literature; National and transnational themes in literature; Translations and communication; Diversity and inclusivity in multicultural society, including Indigenous representation; Oral to written tradition; Multimedia for bridging traditional oral literature with modern technology.)
  5. Identity and Values in Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Individual, communal and cultural identity in literature; Community and nation building in literature; National Literature focusing on children’s issues; Immigrant and emigrant experiences in children’s and young adult literature; Universal values in children’s and young adult literature; Sustainability of culture and family in children’s and young adult literature.)
  6. Empathy and Memory in Story and Storytelling (Cognitive/emotional Empathy, empathy for in-group and out-group members and empathy with positive and negative consequences; Youth literature as social activism; Representation of memory in children’s experience; Virtues, moral values, humanistic values, etc. in children’s and young adult literature.)

The programme organizers would also welcome proposals within the frame of the theme and subthemes that are related to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) from the United Nations. These are:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
SDG 4: Quality Education
SDG 5: Gender Equality
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

In addition to this rich and diverse choice of topics that address IBBY’s mission statement, some traditional IBBY events will take place during the Congress: the IBBY General Assembly, where important decisions and elections are decided by the membership; the 2022 Award ceremonies, such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award and the IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award. The IBBY Honour List 2022 will also be presented in Putrajaya. Presentations and other exhibitions will include the 2021 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities and the 2021 IBBY Silent Books Collection.

Don’t forget these important dates:

  • Deadline for the submission of abstract: 15 March 2022. You can find the detailed conditions to submit your presentation here.
  • Early-bird registration closes on 15 March 2022.
  • Registration closes on 1 July 2022.

The website of the Congress is regularly updated: https://www.ibbycongress2022.org/

You can also follow the 2022 Congress on Facebook.

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