A heritage evening within the programme "Poetry nights" At Al Dhafra Book Festival
ABU DHABI, 24 JANUARY / WAM / Al Dhafra Book Festival, organized by the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, celebrated the heritage and poetry of the people of the sea in an evening entitled “When the Sea Meets Poetry,” held on the main stage of Zayed Public Park as part of the program “Nights of Poetry: Voices That People Loved.”
The evening, in which “Al-Nukhatha” Zaal Khalfan Al-Muhairi, poet Rashid Saeed Al-Rumaithi, and journalist Mohammed Al-Amiri participated, was filled with songs from diving and fishing trips, in which the voices of “Yamal” and “Naham” were raised to form a bridge between yesterday and today. The “Firqa” Marine Arts Band also presented a heritage show full of the traditional songs that prevailed in that era.
Nokhatha Zaal Al Muhairi spoke about the diving trip in the Al Dhafra region, as ancient pearl fishing trips include rituals such as “Al-Sinyar,” meaning the collective exit, and “Al-Qaffal,” meaning the return. He pointed out that the diving trip is more related to land and not to the sea, because all the preparations for the trip were made on land, from preparing pebbles, ropes, mats, firewood, and supplies, and then moving to the sea, to begin the process of distributing supplies to the sailors on the ship.
Al Muhairi discussed the difficulties of the diving trip represented by the high temperatures as it takes place in the summer.
Between poet Rashid Al Muhairi’s poems describing the region and his ghazal poems, the abundant information provided by Nokhatha Zaal Al Muhairi about the rituals of diving trips, and the performance of the “Firqa” band, the Al Dhafra Book Festival audience experienced a heritage atmosphere that immortalized the memories of divers and their arduous journeys in order to secure a better future for these generations.
The Al Dhafra Book Festival, whose sixth session will be held from January 19 to 25, includes sessions and events that highlight the specificity of the Al Dhafra region and its heritage represented by its authentic values and the life of its people in the past, leading to connecting new generations with their past and consolidating their pride in their national identity.
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