RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education have launched the Manga Education program to produce comics meant for students of the intermediate and secondary phases of public education in the government, private and foreign schools. This is part of the extra-curricular activities implemented remotely through the Madrasati platform. The program consists of 10 educational episodes, the content of which was prepared by experts from prestigious Japanese universities, in accordance with the best practices, keeping pace with international standards. This is aimed at developing the capabilities of male and female students in the field of drawing in the manner of manga. It also provides them with the skills necessary to understand the basics of producing comics, such as the skills of drawing characters and writing, and drawing storyboard events. Manga is a Japanese art form that encompasses drawn cartoons, comic books, and graphic novels. Manga is defined as one of the forms of Japanese art that relies on cartoon drawings, comic books and graphic novels. It differs from graphic stories or what is known as American comic books in several aspects. Manga is different from non-Japanese cartoon, comic books, and novels in a number of ways. For starters, manga reads right to left, back to front. This means that the last page of a book or comic in the West would be the first page of a manga. The manga program comes as an extension of the existing partnership between the two ministries within the framework of activating the strategy for developing cultural capabilities by including culture and arts in public education. This is based on the importance of civilized cultural communication, promoting aesthetic and artistic values in comics drawings, and motivating students to innovate and create to produce comics with a cultural and patriotic identity.
