The Sage took a map out of the large bag, looked at it, and then gave it to Mohab saying: – Your first destination is the Sahara Desert in Africa, more specifically Northern Niger. The key you will be bringing from Africa is the Key of Freedom. And let me tell you about freedom. Freedom is a basic human right. A free person is able to make decisions on their own without anyone interfering, and they are able to express their ideas freely. It is the air to breathe. It is what drives people to explore new ideas and be creative. Freedom brings out what is best in all of us. Someone who does not have the right to express their ideas is actually imprisoned. A human being with no Freedom is a body without a soul. The more restrictions are on us, the darker life feels. Freedom is your right to be different, to be yourself. Songs chirped by a bird on a tree are lovelier than songs sung by a bird in a cage. Just as we love to enjoy our freedom, we must believe in the freedom of others and respect it. Your freedom ends where the freedom of the other begins. In fact, freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility. Now, think about how the air is wandering freely in the vast atmosphere with no restrictions of any kind! It is time for your first adventure, Mohab and Afifa. First, you should be looking for a hint that will show you the way to the key. According to the map, the surface of the owl-shaped enclosure is one square kilometer. After you find the hint, you will be able to find the key.
Today we talk about Keys to Air, a book by Oussama Safraoui, published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Oussama Safraoui, to get to know him better, what are the crucial themes of his book Keys to Air, as well as what is the message he wants to send out with his story.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
Keys to Air is about moral values and life skills, history and geography facts, various scientific facts, and global warming and its disastrous impact on our planet. So basically, it’s kind of a small encyclopaedia for children about history and geography, science, architectural art, and life skills. My book Keys to Air is also a call for non-violence. It started with a bomb threat, and it ended in breath-taking beauty and peacefulness. So basically, my book is a call for tolerance, forgiveness and peace.
- What are the human and character traits of the main characters and how they evolve during the events of the story?
The Sage is a fatherly, warm, generous personality. We can consider him as a teacher to the two protagonists. He is kind and generous about sharing his knowledge and ideas. He teaches them life skills through moral values. Mohab is a brave young boy, he is a good young leader. He started as a boy full of energy and courage. As he grows up, he accumulates knowledge and wisdom. Afifa is rather reserved and reticent. She is smart, and she is a good follower. As she grows up, she gains confidence and open-mindedness without losing her good quality of reticence and natural reserve.
- What is the message you wanted to send out with your story?
As I said, it’s a call for peace, tolerance and forgiveness. Civilization is built not only by material things but also and especially on moral values. A civilization that is void of moral values is bound to collapse. Wherever moral values disappear, the civilization is bound to disappear too. In fact, the building blocks of a successful, thriving civilisation are moral values.
- How did you choose the title of the book?
Just like Mirrors and Water, the title Keys to Air has the same structure. Mirrors and Keys refer to the basic moral values and life skills. Water and Air refer to life. So, I wanted to emphasise the relationship between moral values and good life.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
Well, initially I was satisfied with what I did in my two books. I think that I laid out the most important and essential moral values and life skills. So, I felt satisfied. But then I thought maybe it was too much theoretical, so why not write a third book putting all the moral values and life skills into a more practical adventure. So, I actually am thinking about a third book. I even wrote down some basic ideas to the plot. But I am not sure if i am going to be able to pursue it or not, at least not for now. We’ll see.
Europe Books thanks the author Oussama Safraoui once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Keys to Air. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, I hope that this book will make you reflect on issues such as peace, tolerance and forgiveness, and the importance of moral values that allow a civilization to thrive and live in “health”. May these reflections provide you with ideas to improve your everyday life!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy this reflective reading!
Your editor!