Khaberni - The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture, Nidal Al-Ayasra, said on Sunday that the ministry is about to launch a digital platform under the name "Stories from Jordan", which will allow researchers, specialists, young people, and amateurs to upload documents and content related to Jordanian history; the content will undergo a review and evaluation process before it is made available.
Al-Ayasra added, through "Al-Mamlaka", that the "Stories from Jordan" platform aims to create interaction between the inside and the outside, and will enable everyone to participate in enriching the national narrative.
He pointed out that "The National Office: The Memory of the Nation" has been tasked with archiving the content, organizing it, and making it available to researchers, scholars, and those interested in various fields, stressing that the purpose is connected with building national awareness and enhancing loyalty and belonging, by presenting a narrative capable of addressing society in the language of the age and its media.
In response to the vision of His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, the Ministry of Culture launched the project "The Jordanian Narrative... Jordan - The Land and the People" as a project aimed at documenting the history of the Jordanian land and the human who lived on it through an extended timeline of more than two and a half million years, leading to the establishment of the modern Jordanian state, according to a reliable academic scientific framework.
He affirmed that the project of documenting the Jordanian national narrative is an important strategic step in enhancing national awareness, noting that Jordan possesses a long civilizational history that must be presented to generations in an exciting and renewed way.
He indicated that this project is not only limited to documenting ancient history but also extends to include all aspects of national history, including social and political history, saying: "We need to present the narrative in an exciting way, not just through volumes, but through educational materials suitable for all age groups."
Al-Ayasra pointed out that there are ongoing efforts to document and present the history of Jordan in a way that meets the requirements of the digital age, noting that the national narrative will be available in many languages to extend its impact globally.
He explained that the Ministry of Culture has adopted an organizational approach to accomplish the narrative through the formation of specialized committees, a supreme committee, a technical committee, editorial committees, and committees concerned with converting the content to fit the digital age, pointing out that the goal does not just involve producing academic volumes, but presenting exciting and varied content that can be transformed into materials suitable for various age groups, like stories, films, podcasts, and curricula.
During the discussion on narrative presentation tools, Al-Ayasra emphasized the importance of transitioning to digital media and producing materials understandable by children and suitable for researchers, pointing to the possibility of employing modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, in producing materials and outcomes that correspond with today's generation and contribute to transforming the narrative into a "bridge that connects the past with the present to shape the future".
The Minister of Culture, Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh, said that the project of documenting the Jordanian narrative will be presented in modern methods, including stories and short films.
The project is based on the results of specialized archaeological missions that proved the existence of early human activity in Jordan, where surveys and excavations conducted in the Sakhhana area north of the kingdom revealed flint tools dating back to about 2.5 million years, dated based on basalt geological layers and using modern laboratory methods, which constitutes scientific evidence that Jordan is one of the oldest human settlement areas in the world.
The Jordanian narrative project aims to be a national reference approved for researchers, educational institutions, and the media, and a source for enhancing national identity awareness, establishing a sense of belonging, and providing an accurate and reliable image of Jordan and its history to the world, thereby enhancing its cultural and civilizational status at both regional and international levels.
