Ministry of Culture and Sports to Launch Qatar Centre for Poetry Tomorrow

Doha, March 20 (QNA) - The Ministry of Culture and Sports on Tuesday will officially launch the Qatar Centre for Poetry "Diwan Al Arab" in a special ceremony to be held on the occasion in the Museum of Islamic Art Park. The ceremony will be attended by writers, poets, and a number of officials. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of Qatar Centre for Poetry Shabib Al Nuaimi said that the center will be officially launched to start its activities and work to achieve its main objectives out of the belief of the Ministry of Culture and Sports in a different role of literature, including poetry, for the advancement of society and to achieve the ministry's vision towards a conscious society. He pointed out that the center will disseminate the culture of poetry to create a generation of creative poets in the state and a perfect climate for the country's poets as well as to take care of young Qatari talent through sponsorship, support and guidance. The Centre will also contribute to upgrading the intellectual and literary level of Qatari poets and adopting poetic projects that elevate the poetic sense of the community and maintain its cultural identity, he added. He pointed out that the center will also contribute to the enrichment of national and community events, establishing and organizing workshops, courses and literary events, with deepening the pride of the national literature through a review of the literary heritage. The Qatar Centre for Poetry "Diwan Al Arab" was established under the Ministerial Decree No. 94 of 2016 and aimed at promoting literary renaissance relating to poetry in all its literature forms and methods. The launch of Diwan Al Arab centre comes in commemoration of World Poetry Day which falls on 21st of March every year. A decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted during United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO's 30th session held in Paris in 1999. One of the main objectives of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities. The observance of World Poetry Day is also meant to encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals in different countries around the world. (QNA)