ID :
45674
Sun, 02/15/2009 - 14:39
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https://oananews.org//node/45674
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Dubai International Poetry Festival to host tribute for late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
Dubai, Feb 15, 2009 (WAM) - The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation yesterday announced the Dubai International Poetry Festival will hold a tribute evening to posthumously honour one of the Arab world's greatest poets, the late Mahmoud Darwish, whose work gave voice to the Palestinian experience of exile, occupation and struggle.
The event will include poetry readings of Darwish's works, as well as those dedicated to his celebrated life. The evening will bring together a number of people close to the late poet, including his friends and high profile literary, artistic, and journalistic figures. Acclaimed Lebanese stage actor Rafiq Ali Ahmad, prominent journalist and TV presenter Zahi Wehbe, poet and TV presenter Parween Habib, poet Ghassan Zaktan, Jordanian singer Mikadi Nahas, will be among the other Darwish enthusiasts who will participate in the event.
The inaugural edition of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will be held from March 4 - 10. The event aims to achieve global interconnectedness through poetry, by facilitating poets and poetry lovers from all over the world to converge in Dubai and meet and communicate with one another in an atmosphere enriched by rhyme and rhythm.
Ali Al Shaali, CEO of Dubai International Poetry Festival, said: "Mahmoud Darwish has a presence, and I believe his spirit will prevail over the evening that will draw a galaxy of poets, intellectuals and the audience whose love for poetry has stemmed one way or the other from Darwish's powerful poems and influential prose." "The festival, which is in its first edition, wholeheartedly recognizes the purpose that Darwish's prose played in giving voice to the Palestinian dreams of statehood, crafting their declaration of independence and helping forge a Palestinian national identity. This special evening will pay tribute to the memory of this great man, who has never really left us," Al Shaali added.
Mahmoud Darwish died in August 2008 at the age of 67. Published in 20 languages, Darwish has to his credit over 30 volumes of poetry and eight books of prose. His demise left an irreplaceable vacuum in the Arab literary world.
The first edition of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will witness the launch of the Dubai House of Poetry, validating the emirate's status as an incubation centre for nurturing literary talent.
Adding to the offerings of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will be the 'Souk Ukadh' that will seek to recreate the halcyon days of Arab creative expression. A number of shopping malls in Dubai including the Dubai Mall and Dubai Festival City, as well as Madinat Jumeirah, will concurrently host various events to reach out to a larger number of poetry lovers during the festival.
Dubai strives to promote quality cultural output, particularly in poetry, by resurrecting the literary genre that has historically chronicled people's achievements, customs, and traditions. Known as 'Diwan Al-Arab'(The Register of the Arabs), poetry is embedded in the region's cultural roots and has enjoyed coveted status over generations of literary lovers.
The event will include poetry readings of Darwish's works, as well as those dedicated to his celebrated life. The evening will bring together a number of people close to the late poet, including his friends and high profile literary, artistic, and journalistic figures. Acclaimed Lebanese stage actor Rafiq Ali Ahmad, prominent journalist and TV presenter Zahi Wehbe, poet and TV presenter Parween Habib, poet Ghassan Zaktan, Jordanian singer Mikadi Nahas, will be among the other Darwish enthusiasts who will participate in the event.
The inaugural edition of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will be held from March 4 - 10. The event aims to achieve global interconnectedness through poetry, by facilitating poets and poetry lovers from all over the world to converge in Dubai and meet and communicate with one another in an atmosphere enriched by rhyme and rhythm.
Ali Al Shaali, CEO of Dubai International Poetry Festival, said: "Mahmoud Darwish has a presence, and I believe his spirit will prevail over the evening that will draw a galaxy of poets, intellectuals and the audience whose love for poetry has stemmed one way or the other from Darwish's powerful poems and influential prose." "The festival, which is in its first edition, wholeheartedly recognizes the purpose that Darwish's prose played in giving voice to the Palestinian dreams of statehood, crafting their declaration of independence and helping forge a Palestinian national identity. This special evening will pay tribute to the memory of this great man, who has never really left us," Al Shaali added.
Mahmoud Darwish died in August 2008 at the age of 67. Published in 20 languages, Darwish has to his credit over 30 volumes of poetry and eight books of prose. His demise left an irreplaceable vacuum in the Arab literary world.
The first edition of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will witness the launch of the Dubai House of Poetry, validating the emirate's status as an incubation centre for nurturing literary talent.
Adding to the offerings of the Dubai International Poetry Festival will be the 'Souk Ukadh' that will seek to recreate the halcyon days of Arab creative expression. A number of shopping malls in Dubai including the Dubai Mall and Dubai Festival City, as well as Madinat Jumeirah, will concurrently host various events to reach out to a larger number of poetry lovers during the festival.
Dubai strives to promote quality cultural output, particularly in poetry, by resurrecting the literary genre that has historically chronicled people's achievements, customs, and traditions. Known as 'Diwan Al-Arab'(The Register of the Arabs), poetry is embedded in the region's cultural roots and has enjoyed coveted status over generations of literary lovers.
