Location:
Hassan II Centre
Date:
23 July, 2010 - 19:00 Traditional Emirati Poetry Evening Presented by the Poetry Academy, the Poet of the Million and the Prince of Poets Festival
Poets:
About the Abu Dhabi Poetry Academy:
This academy is one of the largest of ADACH's projects. The Academy plays a key role in investigating and documenting Arabic poetry as well as rehabilitating it as a modern literary genre.
The Academy is headed by Professor Sultan Al Amimi and endeavours to create an innovative cultural role for Arabic poetry by holding seminars, conducting research and hosting conferences and roundtable discussions. The ultimate mission of the Academy is to enhance communication and interaction between researchers and professionals. The Academy has three main sections:
- Academic Section: This section is concerned with the academic study of Arabic poetry – the principles of poetry writing, the appreciation and criticism of poetry – through courses and seminars which are open to local, Arab and foreign researchers. It also collects, documents and archives traditional poetry recording its original sources and inspiration.
- Poetry Competitions Section: This section supervises cultural projects, competitions, and programmes relating to poetry and culture such as "Poet of the Million" and "Prince of Poets Festival".
- Publications Section: This section publishes poetry encyclopedias and collections of classical and Nabati poetry, manuscripts and periodicals dealing with various academic issues.
The establishment of a research centre for specialists in classical and Nabati Arabic poetry in the UAE and abroad is also planned. This will provide a detailed database of all existing and ongoing research into poetry and popular literature.
About The Poet of the Million project:
The Poet of the Million is a festival of poetry whose vision is to extend the appreciation of the Nabati poetic heritage of the Arab region to millions through TV and the Internet. It is one of the most successful cultural media projects in the Middle East, with millions of viewers tuning in each week to watch the programmes.
This ADACH initiative in the field of poetry is a way of uniting modernization with tradition, as espoused by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Poet of the Million includes a unique TV competition specialising in Nabati poetry. This is broadcast by Abu Dhabi TV and published through a monthly magazine distributed in the Arab Gulf countries. It also has a website which showcases online events that complement the TV programme. All these events aim at promoting the poetic heritage of the region.
The committee of judges includes leading critics from the Arab world with long experience in folk literature. Their insight and critical vision has played a valuable cultural role in raising awareness of poetry among the public.
About The Prince of Poets Festival:
This festival is aimed at promoting and enhancing classical Arabic poetry, reviving the positive role of Arabic poetry as a medium of expression, and discovering young talent and giving them the chance to develop and grow.
This is being achieved by organising a poetry competition broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV and the "Prince of Poets" channel. The poems are judged by a committee of experts and specialists in the various aspects of the poem in terms of rhythm and rhyme as well as meaning and sense. In addition, poems recitals are judged by the audience.
The Prince of Poets Festival is the first project that promotes the cultural and historical value of classical Arabic poetry to a mass audience. It connects poetry to the pulse of the community, and provides modern Arab poets with the opportunity to compete for the crown of Prince of Poets.