MUDHI ALOBTHANI (ABU DHABI)
In an era dominated by artificial intelligence, fast-moving digital content and shrinking attention spans, storytelling remains one of the most powerful ways to preserve historical awareness among younger generations, according to cultural commentators and historians.
Dr Saddik Gohar, professor, critic and translation expert at the National Library and Archives, said storytelling and literature help transform history from abstract information into lived human experience.
“Storytelling and literature transform history from a static collection of dates, names and events into a vivid human experience that younger generations can understand and emotionally connect with,” he said.
“When historical knowledge is conveyed through stories, the past becomes animated by voices, emotions, conflicts and personal journeys.”
Gohar said many young people feel disconnected from history because it is often taught as memorisation rather than interpretation. “When history is presented as a sequence of facts rather than a living record of human struggle, creativity, conflict and transformation, students may perceive it as distant, mechanical and unrelated to their daily lives,” he said.
For storyteller and memory documentation enthusiast Yusuf Al Madani, the effectiveness of historical education depends largely on presentation. “Today we live in a fast-paced era, and the ones who stand out are those who know how to tell a story well,” he said. “Whether historical, cultural or religious, what matters is how the story is told and how media tools are used to make it engaging.”
Both said narratives make history more relatable by humanising major events and placing them within personal experience.
“A war becomes the story of a family separated by conflict; migration becomes the journey of someone searching for dignity and belonging; social reform becomes the courage of individuals challenging injustice,” Gohar said. “Such narratives allow young people to encounter the past through empathy rather than obligation.”
Al Madani said retelling historical events through engaging narrative forms can help reconnect younger audiences with the past. “Thousands of remarkable events happened throughout history, and if they are reinterpreted and presented with strong storytelling, people will naturally connect with them,” he said.
Gohar added that storytelling also reveals the enduring relevance of historical events by connecting them to universal human themes. “Questions of identity, belonging, injustice, ambition, love, loss and survival are not confined to one historical moment,” he said. “When younger readers encounter such themes in narratives set in the past, they often recognise parallels with contemporary realities and their own experiences.”
Al Madani pointed to the Saudi television series “Tash Ma Tash” as an example of how storytelling can preserve the social memory of an era. “Through works like this, people understand how earlier generations lived, dressed, designed their homes and navigated society,” he said. “These artistic works become part of historical memory.”
Both stressed that preserving historical awareness remains essential despite the rise of AI and digital technologies.
“Historical awareness provides depth, continuity and critical perspective in a cultural environment that often privileges immediacy over reflection,” Gohar said. “Without a sense of historical continuity, individuals risk interpreting events as disconnected or unprecedented when they are often part of recurring patterns.”
Al Madani echoed that sentiment, saying: “Whoever has no history, has no identity.”
While both see artificial intelligence as a useful tool, they said technology should enhance – not replace – human engagement with history.
“AI and digital technologies can significantly support the way history is told and taught by expanding access to knowledge and enabling immersive learning experiences,” Gohar said. “Yet their greatest value emerges when they deepen, rather than replace, critical engagement with the past.”
Al Madani added: “The primary tool is still the human mind – how people understand knowledge and use technology to communicate it. AI is a support mechanism, not a substitute.”
Both also said preserving history is a shared societal responsibility.
“Educators, writers and media professionals are active custodians of cultural memory,” Gohar said. “Their role is not simply to transmit knowledge, but to ensure that history remains a living force that helps individuals understand themselves and their societies.”
Al Madani said that responsibility extends beyond institutions.
“Through stories, recordings, photographs, videos and writing, every generation contributes to preserving the memory of its time,” he said.