21st Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival to kick off Jan. 6

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture in Sharjah, noted: 

“The Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival, over its 21 editions, has become a vital cultural event, significantly enriching the Arab literary scene. Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the festival continues to support Arab poets and encourage the production of authentic Arabic poetry.” 

Al Owais highlighted the festival’s extensive participation this year, uniting poets and literary figures around their shared love for words. Beyond the poetry readings, the festival will feature book signings for collections by various poets and unveil 12 new names celebrated for their contributions to the "Golden Qawafi Award" in its third edition. These poets have been contributors to “Qawafi” magazine over its 12 editions for 2024. The festival will also include an intellectual symposium titled “Arabic Poetry: From Stability to Transformation,” exploring critical issues and developments in Arabic poetry through studies and research. 

The festival will honour two poets with the 13th Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry for their outstanding contributions to Arabic literature: Emirati poet Talal Al Junaibi and Syrian poet Hussein Al Abdullah. 

Reflecting its expanding horizons, the festival will host poets from African countries including Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Chad. Al Owais emphasised that this marks the festival’s openness to new poetic landscapes and its role in strengthening connections between Arabic poetry and African literary traditions. 

Opening Ceremony 

The festival will open at the Sharjah Cultural Palace with a documentary titled “A Decade of Giving: The Houses of Poetry”. This will be followed by poetry readings from Talal Al Junaibi (UAE), Hussein Al Abdullah (Syria), and Talal Al Salti (Oman). The event will also celebrate the winners of the 4th Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry Criticism: Fathi Ben Belkacem Nasri (Tunisia, first place), Dr. Ahmed Jarallah Yassin (Iraq, second place), and Ibrahim Al Karawi (Morocco, third place). 

Golden Qawafi Award

On the second day, the winners of the 3rd Golden Qawafi Award will be honoured at the Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre. These poets, representing various Arab and African countries, will present their works from the 2024 Qawafi Anthology. The list includes Hamid Al Shamsadi (Morocco), Anas Al Hajjar (Syria), Soumaya Dwaifi (Algeria), Jumana Al Tarawneh (Jordan), Omar Al Azmi (Morocco), Mohammed Tayel (Egypt), Ahmed Al Hilali (Saudi Arabia), Abdullah Al Anzi (Kuwait), Mohammed Al Hadi Sal (Senegal), Mustafa Matar (Palestine), Mohammed Taha Al Othman (Syria), and Raja Al Qahtani (Kuwait). 

The second evening will feature a poetry night at the Sharjah Cultural Palace with contributions from Rashid Issa (Jordan), Sheikha Al Mutairi (UAE), Ibrahim Al Wafi (Saudi Arabia), Moussa Ibrahimi (Algeria), Jassem Mohammed Jassem Al Aja (Iraq), and Ibrahim Al Fahri (Mali), hosted by Mufreh Al Shaqeeqi (Saudi Arabia). Emirati poet Dr. Talal Al Junaibi will also sign copies of his latest poetry collection. 

Continuing Poetry Evenings 

The third evening will see another poetry gathering at the Sharjah Cultural Palace, featuring Ahmed Bakhit (Egypt), Najat Al Taheri (UAE), Qasim Al Shammari (Iraq), Shaqraa Madkhali (Saudi Arabia), Al Wathiq Younis (Sudan), and Hassan Idris (Libya), moderated by Jordanian poet Omar Abu Al Heija. Syrian poet Hussein Al Abdullah will also sign copies of his latest collection during the evening. 

The Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival continues to exemplify Sharjah’s commitment to celebrating the literary arts and fostering dialogue across cultures, making it a cornerstone of the Arab world’s poetic traditions. 

Intellectual Symposium 

The festival’s intellectual symposium, titled “Arabic Poetry: From Stability to Transformation,” will be held over two sessions at Sharjah Cultural Palace. The first session, moderated by Dr. Samah Hamdi from Tunisia, will feature discussions on topics including the primacy of Arabic poetry, poetic intertextuality between the past and present, and symbolism in evolving meanings, presented by experts from Egypt, Jordan, and Mauritania. The second session, chaired by Dr. Abdulrazzaq Al Rubaie from Oman, will explore thresholds from tradition to innovation and the transformation of poetry through new publishing platforms, with contributions from Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Evening Poetry Readings 

The symposium will be accompanied by poetry readings at Sharjah Cultural Palace, offering audiences a rich array of performances by poets from across the Arab world and Africa. Highlights include readings from Ihab Al Bishbeshi (Egypt), Al Monsif Al Mazghani (Tunisia), and Bashayer Mohammed (Saudi Arabia), among others, alongside commentary and hosting by acclaimed literary figures.

Closing Ceremony 

The festival will culminate with a grand finale at Sharjah Cultural Palace. Poets from countries including Mauritania, Libya, the UAE, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and Chad will take to the stage, delivering performances that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Arabic poetry. The evening will be hosted by Sudanese poet Abdul Latif Mahjoub, offering a fitting conclusion to this landmark 21st edition.