Amman: Jordanian Minister of Culture Mustafa Al Rawashdeh has praised the pioneering cultural efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, acknowledging his continued support for the Arab poetry movement. Al Rawashdeh commended Sharjah's initiatives to promote poetry and strengthen communication between Arab creatives through the establishment of poetry houses in the Arab world.
According to Emirates News Agency, Al Rawashdeh made these remarks during a meeting with Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture, and Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qaseer, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department at the Department. This meeting marked the launch of the 10th edition of the Al Mafraq Arabic Poetry Festival. Al Rawashdeh congratulated Sharjah on the tenth anniversary of the Poetry Houses Initiative, highlighting its contribution to providing a creative platform for poets and writers over the past decade.
'When H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah announced the directives of the pioneering initiative to establish poetry houses in the Arab world, Jordan was the first destination for poetry houses,' Al Owais said. He noted that the city of Mafraq became the platform from which this cultural initiative was launched, eventually expanding across the Arab world, reaching as far as Nouakchott.
Under the patronage of the Sharjah Ruler, the Mafraq Arabic Poetry Festival was launched, organized by the Department of Culture in Sharjah in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Culture. The festival's opening ceremony was held at the National Library in Amman, attended by Al Owais, Professor Al Qaseer, and the Director of the National Library, Firas Al Daraba, as well as Jordanian and Arab intellectuals, writers, academics, and a large number of poetry enthusiasts.
Al Owais expressed his pleasure in celebrating the tenth edition of the festival in Amman, emphasizing the ongoing collaboration between the Department of Culture in Sharjah and the Jordanian Ministry of Culture. He highlighted the significant role of the House of Poetry and the festival's influence, noting that the House of Poetry in Mafraq has been a leading cultural platform and that the festival has made a lasting poetic impact over the past decade.
At the end of the ceremony, Al Owais, Al Qaseer, and Al Daraba honored the poets participating in the opening sessions of the festival with certificates of appreciation.