Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival to commence on Monday

The 21st Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival will run from 6th to 12th January, featuring over 70 poets, literary critics, and media personalities from across the Arab world and several African nations.

Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture in Sharjah, said, “The Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival, over its 21 editions, has become a vital cultural event, significantly enriching the Arab literary scene. Guided by the vision of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the festival continues to support Arab poets and encourage the production of authentic Arabic poetry.”

Beyond the poetry readings, the festival will feature book signings for collections by various poets and unveil 12 new names celebrated for their contributions to the “Golden Qawafi Award” in its third edition. These poets have been contributors to “Qawafi” magazine over its 12 editions for 2024.

The festival will also include an intellectual symposium titled “Arabic Poetry: From Stability to Transformation,” exploring critical issues and developments in Arabic poetry through studies and research.

The festival will honour two poets with the 13th Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry for their outstanding contributions to Arabic literature: Emirati poet Talal Al Junaibi and Syrian poet Hussein Al Abdullah.

Al Owais said that the festival will host poets from African countries, including Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Chad, highlighting that this marks the festival’s openness to new poetic landscapes and its role in strengthening connections between Arabic poetry and African literary traditions.

The festival will open at the Sharjah Cultural Palace with a documentary titled “A Decade of Giving: The Houses of Poetry”. This will be followed by poetry readings from Talal Al Junaibi (UAE), Hussein Al Abdullah (Syria), and Talal Al Salti (Oman).

The event will also celebrate the winners of the 4th Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry Criticism: Fathi Ben Belkacem Nasri (Tunisia, first place), Dr. Ahmed Jarallah Yassin (Iraq, second place), and Ibrahim Al Karawi (Morocco, third place).

The winners of the 3rd Golden Qawafi Award will also be honoured at the Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre.

WAM