Moroccan Poetry Festival Kicks Off Friday

His Excellency Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture said that cultural events continue in poetry houses in the Arab world within the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in a way that contributes to enhancing the status and presence of Arabic poetry and language.

Al Owais added that the Moroccan Poetry Festival has become one of the most prominent cultural events in Morocco, due to the tireless work carried out by the House of Poetry in Marrakech throughout the year, while celebrating poetry and poets in a new edition of its annual poetry festival, crowning the activities of the House in various places and cities in Morocco.

The opening ceremony will be held in the "Moulay Abdel Salam" courtyard in the heart of Marrakech, and will begin with a documentary showing the most important activities of the seventh season of cultural programmes at the House of Poetry in Marrakech, and records the House's cultural and artistic events throughout the year.

The opening ceremony of the festival will see a series of poetry readings, in which Majida Benkirane, Ibrahim Souri Ibrahim Traore, and Idris Benatar will participate. 

The current edition will honour writers Al Mahdi Akhrif, Ahmed Mahmoud Ma Al Ainain, and Dr. Fatima Fayez.

The opening will be accompanied by the crowning of the winners of the Best Poem and Poetry Criticism Award in its sixth edition, an award organised by the House of Poetry in Marrakech for young poets and critics, while the artist Shaimaa Omran will conclude the activities of the first day of the festival with an artistic ceremony.

The activities of the second day will be held at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, where the faculty will host the festival seminar entitled "Poetry and Biography, the Poet's Memory and the Biography of the Poem", in which Dr. Nadia Al Ashiri, Dr. Abdul Jalil Lakrifa, Dr. Murad Al Matawi, and Dr. Yahya Amara will speak, and it will be chaired by Dr. Abdul Ghani Fanan. 

The second day will also be accompanied by a meeting with master's and doctoral students, at the faculty, and discussions with the participation of the festival's honourees, chaired by Dr. Najib Khadari. 
On the evening of the second day, a segment entitled "The Pulse of the Poem" will be held, and will include poetry readings by Iman Al Khattabi, Mohamed Al-Naama Bayrouk, Jamal Al Moussawi, and Mohamed Ahmed Bennis, moderated by Dr. Soufia Al Safi. 

Artist Maouloud Aqa will play a solo on the qanun. The Abjadiyat and Music segment will include the participation of Fouad Chardoudi and artist Mohsen Lahmine.

"Bahia Palace" will host the activities of the third day of the festival, where the segment "Poets Coming to the Future" will be held, in which poets Ayoub Ait Lamkaddam, Khadija Al Saadi, Aini Amnisir, Karim Ait Al Hajj, and Naima Muhatain will read, moderated by Samia Ait Zahra.

Certificates will also be presented to graduates of the seventh group (poetry writing workshops for children, adolescents, young people, and interested people). A section on poetic visions will be held, with the participation of Aisha Al Basri, Muhannad Al Duwaib, Nour Al Din Muhaqqiq, and Suleiman Al-Drisi, presented by the media figure Anas Al Malhouni. In the section on “Alphabets and Choreography”, the participation of Abdel Salam Bin Fenina, Hassan Qudsi (Gnawa), and the events will conclude with an artistic concert by the artist Manal Muhammad with the Dar Al Oud band in Marrakech.