First Nabati Poetry Conference in the Region
Dubai, 3 November, 2014: Poetry enthusiasts are in store for a feast with the first Nabati Poetry Conference, held by the Dubai International Writers’ Centre (DIWC), the latest initiative of the Emirates Literature Foundation, and sponsored by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Center. The Conference will be held from November 3-4 at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City and will include a host of talks and recitals by international and local experts. Nabati is a spontaneous and direct style of poetry, passed down through generations of residents in the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula from the 16th Century.
Ibrahim Abdulrahim of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center said of the occasion “The Nabati Poetry Conference in Dubai is an important step toward the preservation of the heritage of the whole region while adapting the language to draw vivid memories of everyday life from the past. We look forward to encouraging local talent and to the return of literary mastery in cherishing our Arabic and Emirati talent. We hope that everyone is able to take part in this unique event and enjoy the opportunity to meet some of the most distinguished experts on the subject.”
Abdulla Al Shaer, Director of the DIWC, said of the Conference, “We are very excited to be hosting the Nabati Poetry Conference. We have an amazing roster of speakers attending the Conference including international authors of books on Nabati poetry who will be complemented by local experts giving us an inside look at Nabati poetry and UAE traditions. Nabati is a beautiful form of poetry and is intrinsically linked with Emirati tradition.”
Speakers at the Conference include Professor Clive Holes, Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World, University of Oxford, Professor Saad Sowayaan, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore at King Saud University and Professor Marcel Kurpoershoek, diplomat, journalist and Arabist, Fazza Order of Merit-winning Emirati poet and performer, and Dr. Said Salman Abu-Athera, independent researcher, freelance writer and broadcaster in the field of Bedouin poetry and culture, Saeed Bin Karraz Al Muhairi, Head of Research at the Intangible Heritage at ADACH.
The Conference is open to all who are interested in learning about the history of Emirati tradition and poetry. All sessions will offer simultaneous translation in Arabic and English.
Over the course of the two-day Conference, sessions will explore the tradition of Nabati, its significance in different parts of the region and its modern practice. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with experts and have their questions answered, as well as getting an in-depth look into the life of a Nabati poet.
