Lamsa, the highly acclaimed Arabic children’s and family edutainment app, is to reach new heights with the launch of the young ‘Zayed’ character as part of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s vision to mark 2018 as ‘The Year of Zayed’.
Next year will mark 100 years since the birth of the UAE’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Lamsa could not be prouder to launch the new character on its app.
Based at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, the children’s edutainment app, which has been downloaded more than 10 million times, will depict Zayed as a young Emirati boy, and build innovative interactive stories and games around the life of Sheikh Zayed. His appearance and features will reflect his Emirati heritage while his personality will reflect the aspirational morals and behaviour for which Sheikh Zayed is renowned.
Lamsa’s edutainment platform is built around an educational framework for children, and the new games and content pieces will echo the ‘Moral Education’ syllabus that is being introduced to schools in the United Arab Emirates next year.
Badr Ward, the founder and CEO of Lamsa, said: “The ‘Year of Zayed’ initiative is a great opportunity for all educational platforms across the region, such as leaders in the field like Lamsa, to teach our children the significance of the values and morals that the late Sheikh Zayed held during his mission to build and provide for this nation. We at Lamsa took the initiative to conceptualize the character Zayed to embody those morals and values.
“The character creation will take place throughout the year so that we can convey the richness of the past spirit, and inspire our children with a bright future where values and morals are the building blocks.
“Lamsa will focus on its strength to continuously ensure a captivating and fascinating experience for children, in a world of learning and digital entertainment encompassing creative thinking and interactive technology.”
Lamsa will partner with Haykal Media, a leading media company that delivers high-quality Arabic content from its base in Abu Dhabi, to create ‘Zayed’ and define his role.
Amar Haykal, General Manager of Haykal Media, said: “We are delighted to launch this initiative in cooperation with Lamsa, which in the past few years has reached millions of children across the Arab world with content that is both beneficial and purposeful.
“Education and morals were always considered a priority by Sheikh Zayed as building blocks for this country, and till this day the Emirates works towards these principles and values. So we are glad that we can play a role in continuing the legacy of the founding father.”
Further support will come from Abu Dhabi Media Zone and twofour54, which is proudly embracing this initiative as a leader in region’s media industry.
Maryam AlMheiri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Media Zone and twofour54, said: “One of the primary objectives of twofour54 is to produce and enhance high quality local and original content that is aligned with our morals and traditions and competes on a global scale.
“We are proud of the initiative taken by Lamsa to render this objective clearly, especially since the inspiration of the character comes from His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. All the noble Emirati values, principles and traditions will be passed on to future generations in an innovative and creative way.”
Innovative UAE companies such as Lamsa not only reflect the competitive and high quality content coming from the Arab world but also inspire passion and celebration for the UAE’s founding father. ‘The year of Zayed’ in 2018 will commemorate His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s unique personality, his accomplishments and the fundamental role he played in setting the foundations of the UAE and placing it on the global map.
