Sultan Al Qasimi opens the Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival in its 21st session
Sharjah, 6 January / WAM / His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, opened this evening the activities of the twenty-first session of the Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival, which will be held during the period from 6 to 12 January, with the participation of more than 70 people. A male and female poet, a critic and a journalist representing Arab countries, at the Palace of Culture in Sharjah.
At the beginning of the opening ceremony, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and the audience watched a video presentation entitled “Houses of Poetry 10 Years of Giving,” covering the most prominent achievements of Arab poetry houses and their various publications. His Highness listened to poetry readings by the poet Talal Al Junaibi from the UAE, and the poet Hussein Al Abdullah from Syria, and the poet Talal Al-Salti from the Sultanate of Oman.
The poet Talal Al-Junaibi recited a poem entitled “Sultan Al-Qasimi, Melody of Life.” The Syrian poet Hussein Al-Abdullah presented a diverse poetry reading, and the Omani poet Talal Al-Salti gave a poetry reading entitled “A Ship of Clay.”
His Highness then honored the two poets who won the thirteenth edition of the Sharjah Prize for Arabic Poetry, who contributed with their poetic production to enriching the creative arena for serving poetry and supplying the Arab library with many remarkable poetic works. They are: the poet Talal Al-Junaibi from the Emirates, and the poet Hussein Al-Abdullah from Syria.
His Highness also honored the winners of the fourth session of the Sharjah Award for Criticism of Arabic Poetry, who are: Fathi bin Belkacem Nasri from Tunisia in first place, for his research on autobiographies in contemporary Arabic poetry, and Dr. Ahmed Jarallah Yassin from Iraq in second place, for his research on the convergence of literary genres in the poem. Contemporary Arabic, and Ibrahim Al-Karawi from Morocco won third place for his research on the poetics of cross-genre text: from the obsession with rooting to the question of borders.
During its days, the festival will showcase poetry readings, in addition to a corner for the signing of poetry collections by a group of creative people. Arab readers will be presented with 12 new names from the winners of the third session of the Golden Rhymes Award, who contributed their poetic creations to Al-Qawafi magazine during 12 issues for the year 2024. The festival is accompanied by a symposium. An intellectual conference entitled “Arabic Poetry from Constancy to Transformation” so that the public can learn, through a group of research and critical studies, the most prominent issues that Related to Arabic poetry.
The current session of the Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival also witnesses the participation of African poets representing the countries of Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Chad, in line with the festival’s objectives, which seek to open up to new poetic horizons, and to strengthen Arab poetry forums in Africa.
On its second day, the festival will witness the honoring of the winners of the Golden Rhymes Award – the third session. Poetry evenings and an intellectual symposium will also be held under the title “Arab Poetry from Constancy to Transformation,” and poetry readings. The festival will conclude the activities of the 21st session with a poetry evening at the Palace of Culture, with the participation of a number of Arab poets. .
The opening ceremony was witnessed alongside His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah by: Sheikh Salem bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, Head of the Office of His Highness the Ruler, Rashid Ahmed bin Al Sheikh, Head of the Emiri Diwan, Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Head of the Department of Culture, Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, and Khaled Jassim Al Midfa, Chairman of the Authority. Commercial and Tourism Development, Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of the Protocol and Hospitality Department, senior officials and poets.
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