The Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival Concludes its 21st Edition

The Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival has concluded the activities of its 21st edition, which took place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The festival lasted for 7 days and featured wide participation from poets, critics, journalists, and cultural figures from Arab countries, as well as several African nations.

The closing ceremony was held at the Sharjah Cultural Palace, in the presence of His Excellency Abdallah bin Mohammad Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture in Sharjah, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qaseer, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Mohammed Al Braiki, Director of the House of Poetry, and a group of poets, intellectuals, academics, and poetry lovers.

The festival included poetry readings, as well as a section for book signings, where a number of creative poets presented their poetry collections. It also introduced 12 new names of winners in the third edition of the Golden Qawafi Award. Additionally, the festival hosted an intellectual seminar titled "Arabic Poetry: From Stability to Transformation."

The current edition of the festival honored two poets with the Sharjah Arabic Poetry Prize (13th edition), recognizing their contributions to enriching the Arab library with notable poetic works: Poet Talal Al Janibi (UAE) and Poet Hussein Al Abdullah (Syria).

A notable feature of this edition was the participation of African poets representing Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Chad, marking the festival's expansion to new poetic horizons and enhancing the gathering of Arabic poetry in Africa.

The closing evening featured poets: Sheikhna Omar (Mauritania), Fatima Muftah (Libya), Ali Al Sha'ali (UAE), Omar Al Raji (Morocco), Nadhir Al Sumaydi (Iraq), Zain Al Abidin Al Dhabibi (Yemen), and Ismail Abdulrahman Ismail (Chad). The evening was presented by Sudanese journalist Abdel Latif Mahjoub.

The poets' verses touched on human and personal themes, with their poetry skillfully crafting meanings and weaving between letters and their shadows, impressing the audience with their linguistic mastery and creative brilliance.