Sharjah honors 4 Tunisian writers

Tunisia, 23 January / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the city of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia witnessed yesterday evening the honoring of 4 Tunisian writers within the framework of the twentieth edition of the Sharjah Cultural Honors Forum, and they are: Translator Dr. Fatima Al-Akhdar Maktouf, the novelist and translator Muhammad Ali Al-Yusufi, the writer and writer Al-Bashir Al-Qahwaji, and the late academic and critic Dr. Abdul Aziz Shabeel.

The forum comes in implementation of the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah to honor literary figures who have contributed to serving contemporary Arab culture, and it is being held for the fourth time in Tunisia after it celebrated an elite group of Tunisian writers in three previous sessions.

The honoring ceremony was held at the Nejma Ezzahra Palace in the historic city of Sidi Bou Said, in the presence of His Excellency Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Owais, Head of the Sharjah Department of Culture, Muhammad Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs in the Department, and Dr. Tawfiq Qurera, Director General of the Tunisian Institute for Translation, representing the Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Her Excellency Amina Al-Sarrafi, and a group of intellectuals, writers, and families of the honorees.

The ceremony began with a presentation on Sharjah’s role in supporting Arab creators, and reviewed the creative biography of the four honorees and the rich literary production they achieved during years of cultural work.

During the ceremony, Tunisian critic Hatem Trabelsi praised Sharjah’s vital role in supporting Arab culture, stressing that the Sharjah Cultural Honors Forum has become one of the permanent events in Tunisia, which honors creativity and creators.

For his part, Abdullah Al Owais stressed in his speech that this honor reflects the depth of relations between the UAE and the Republic of Tunisia, and contributes to strengthening joint Arab action in various fields.

Al Owais pointed out that the Sharjah Cultural Honors Forum aims to honor Arab cultural figures who have enriched the Arab literary scene with their creativity in multiple fields of literature.

He noted that the Sharjah Forum for Cultural Honor is the third meeting in Tunisia in recent months, after the Sharjah Narrative Forum last September, and the Kairouan Festival for Arabic Poetry at the House of Wisdom in Carthage.

For his part, Tawfiq Qurera, in a speech by the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, praised Sharjah’s role in caring for the Tunisian cultural movement, noting that this honor is evidence of the status of cultural cooperation between Tunisia and Sharjah, which provides continuous support to Tunisian and Arab intellectuals.

Quraira referred to the experiences of the honorees, stressing that they constitute prominent cultural landmarks in Tunisia. He also renewed his thanks to Sharjah for its interest in Tunisian cultural icons, which are considered part of Arab culture in general.

In conclusion, the four honorees expressed their thanks and gratitude to Sharjah, which has become a pioneer in the cultural field, a forum for creative people, and a marina for creativity.

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