His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Attends Poetry Evening on First Day of Dubai International Poetry Festival 2009

Calligraphy Exhibition ’The Dream of a Poet’ Draws Lovers of Art and Literature to Madinat Theatre

Dubai: 5 March, 2009 – His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, attended the first poetry soiree at Madinat Jumeirah hosted as part of Day-1 of the Dubai International Poetry Festival 2009, an initiative by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoukm Foundation.

Themed ‘A Thousand Poets; One Language’, Dubai International Poetry Festival 2009 will run until 10 March at various venues including the Dubai House of Poetry, and the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The opening evening comprised two sessions of poetry recitals. While the first segment drew out discussion on the various styles of poetry such as vernacular, classical and Nabti by poets from the Arab world, Asia and Europe, the second part of the evening was dominated by women poets and highlighted the spirit of youth. 

Abdullah Abdul Kader, an acclaimed writer, moderated the evening that witnessed a remarkable turnout of audiences.

Kader said: “Poetry does not always command wide attention. However, Dubai has given poetry a huge window of opportunity to be experienced in all languages, demonstrating the emirate’s love for culture and its firm commitment to evoke, preserve and evolve the genre as a creative form of expression.”

German poet Wolfgang Kubin kicked off the evening reciting a number of poems that narrate his love for Chinese civilization (Sinology) through references to a poem by Confucius.

Rawdah Al Haj, Sudanese poet and prominent media figure, gave the first Arabic language recital of the evening ‘Light of the Cellars of Question’. She said: “Dubai has triumphed in organising such a festival that proclaims to the world that literature is a vital bridge for linking nations and cultures, and that poetry is the most effective means of communication for fostering dialogue among nations.”

Emirati poet Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim followed with a rendition of his poem that won high praise from the audience. He said: “The Emirati poetry movement is building up considerable momentum and is starting to match the rhythm of pioneering poets that established the art form in this great country such as Salim Ali Al Owais and Sultan Al Owais, Hamad Bu Shehab and Ahmad Amin Al Madani.”

Indonesian poet Dorothea Herliani provided a vibrant and rich Asian poetic recital, mixing poetry with a hymn-like ritual. She also performed a silent play titled ’A City Under the Earth’.

Tunisian poet and director of the Tunisian Poetry Festival Al Munsif Al Mazghani recited a number of short poems, some of which dealt with a poet’s challenging relationship with authority, criticizing how poets lose their poetic moorings when they become slaves to government.

Acclaimed Iranian poet Nahid Keri kept the audience enraptured with her recitation of ‘Moments in the Face of The Storm’ and ‘Eulogizing The Secret’, tackling the issues of femininity and love.

Presenting his poem ‘“She with the Heart of…’, well known poet Abdul Rahman Al Rafea presented a series of poems in the Nabti style, humourously asserting the importance of women and the worthlessness of life without them.

During the second half of the evening, the fusion of modern forms of recital and traditional recitals, prominent during the 15^th century, was featured by poets Jumana Haddad, Hala Mohamed and Dr. Inaam Bioud. The well-known Egyptian poet Ahmed Abdul, German poet Joachim Sartarious and the Nabati Kuwaiti poet Hamid Zayd, also participated in the recitals.

Lebanese poet Jumana Haddad, started the recital with a composition of poetry about Greek mythology in various languages, embellishing it with music.

Joachim Sartarious presented poems on ‘Diana the Goddess of Hunting and Wilderness’, and dedicated another poem ‘Portraiture’ to Syrian artist Marwan. He also presented a poem about poetry itself, underlining that poetry as an art form has global appeal.

Ahmed Abdul presented  his famous poem ‘Utopia’ dedicated to the French singer Jacques Brel, reemphasizing the need for interaction between  different forms of cultural expressions, drawing comparison to the Andalusian era.  He cited that the organizers of the Dubai International Poetry Festival have successfully captured the Andulasian spirit with an emotionally moving slogan ‘Thousand Poets, One Language.’

Algerian poet Dr. Inaam Bioud recited short poems from her collection of sonnets titled ‘Letters Never Sent’, drawing attention to the killing of the innocent in Gaza and Lebanon.

Ending the evening on a high note, Syrian poet and cinematographer Hala Mohammed recited some of her short poems, that captivated the imagination of her audience.

Throughout its week-long duration, the Dubai International Poetry Festival 2009 will host various poetry workshops and commemorative evenings at select venues across Dubai, including social clubs and shopping malls.