Dubai to dip into poetic delight

Dubai to dip into poetic delight 

BY A STAFF REPORTER 

POETRY lovers and literature enthusiasts would have a week filled with recitals and readings as Dubai is set to host the maiden Dubai International Poetry Festival(DIPF). The festival will be inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. 

More than 100 regional and international poets and writers from 45 countries will converge in Dubai for the festival that will run till March 10 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Madinat Jumeirah and the House of Poetry. 

An initiative of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, the event will set the stage for a series of poetry recitals, literary exhibitions, critical reviews and commemorative evenings across select venues in Dubai that will collectively serve to raise the holistic profile of the UAE as a cultural oasis of the region. 

Prince Badr Bin Abdul Aziz, deputy commander of Saudi Arabia National Guard and an avid poet, will host a dedicated poetry reading evening during the inaugural event, while memories of the acclaimed 11th century poet Omar Al Khayyam will be evoked through an Emirati translation of his quartets by Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg. The event has drawn the participation of reputed international and regional poets including the South African Breyten Breytenbach. 

Featured poets for the first day include Ilma Rakusa from Switzerland, Jelena N. Fanailowa from Russia, Enrique Moya from Athen, Matthew Sweeney from Britain and Agus R Sarjono from Indonesia. 

On Wednesday, the Madinat Jumeirah Madinat Theatre will feature two poetry soirees. The first, to be held from 6pm to 8pm, would feature Kubin, Rawdhah Al Hajj, Dorothea Herliani, Al Munsif Al Mizghanni, Nahid Kabiri, Ibrahim Muhammad Ibrahim and Abdulrahman Rafi. 

While the second poetry soiree, from 8:30pm to 10:30pm, would feature Hamid Zayd Sa'dun Al Azimi amongst other poets like Joachim Sartorius and Inaam Bioud. Hamid Zayd is a Kuwaiti poet, has made significant contributions to Gulf poetry. The Gulf press calls him 'The poet of youth' and 'The poet of long poems'. 

The festival's edition this year will also include a poetry reading session of the works of the Tunisian poet Abu Al Qassim Al Shabi as part of his centennial birth anniversary celebrations. A commemorative evening for three pioneers in Emirati poetry Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Hamad Khalifa Bu Sahib and Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais will give one more reason for avid poetry lovers to come together in a fitting tribute to the stalwarts. 

Adding to the offerings of the event will be 'Souk Ukadh' that will seek to recreate the halcyon days of Arab creative expression. 

The International Women's Day on March 8 will be celebrated with a special poetry evening exclusively for women. 

Various social clubs of the communities in Dubai, such as the Egyptian, Pakistani, Iranian and Sudanese social clubs, will participate in the festival through organising special poetry evenings for participating poets. 

Parallely, poetry recitals will be held at several universities including the Zayed University, the UAE University, and the Ajman University.