Sharjah poetry evening: life, loss, and identity

Hanaa Al Shawi from Syria presented the evening by welcoming the attendees and thanking His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for his patronage of creative platforms, including the Poetry House.

Sharjah, patron of culture

Al Shawi said that this poetic edifice is evidence of the continued approach, effort, and support graciously bestowed by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in making the Poetry House in Sharjah a repository of knowledge and an ambassador of the spoken word. Therefore, Sharjah was a daughter of astonishment, proving that it is not just a guest of culture, but rather the patron and host of the House.

Journey of words

Bahraini poet Ali Al Nahham opened the evening and recited poems characterised by profound language, authentic meaning, and astonishing imagery.

Poet Ali Mai took the stage, reciting poems of sublime language and imagery, soaring in the sky of meaning and imagination. He opened his readings with a poem titled "Identity," in which he expressed a unique vision of himself and his identity, shaped by the environment—its sea and desert, its people, and its anxiety.

He then toured Damascus, capturing what his imagination, poetry, and feelings captured during his visit, embodying his love for its history, its people, and its places.

The evening was concluded by Mauritanian poet Mohamed Al Mami, who wrote a number of poems that traversed history, explored cities, and sat with the self and the other, creating artistic images through his texts. He began his reading with the poem "On the Thresholds of the Dream," attempting to confidently enter the cities of poetry, expressing the ambition he carries, along with the hope of his land, his memories, and his future. He also saluted Sharjah.

To conclude the event, poet Mohammed Al Buraiki honoured the evening's participants.