Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Aletihad spoke to organisers, poets and cultural institutions participating in the Abu Dhabi Poetry Festival, which is running until February 11 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.
Aref Omar, Programme Developer at Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the organisers of the festival, highlighted the festival’s growing cultural and regional impact.
The second edition of the festival continues to celebrate Nabati and classical Arabic poetry and preserve national heritage, taking this artistic expression to a wider audience.
“The large number of attendees including poets, intellectuals, and writers from various Arab countries confirms the festival’s success and its achievement of many goals,” said Omar.
The programme for the second edition of the festival includes interactive cultural sections such as the Poetry Bridge, UAE Poetry Map, Young Poet Corner, Emirati Women Poets Corner, Performing Arts Platform and the Poetry Café.
The expanded programme and institutional participation reflect the festival’s growing influence, said Omar.
He also highlighted family and youth-focused initiatives, including a children’s pavilion that “confirms our commitment to passing on our heritage to future generations”, alongside new media initiatives such as podcast production spaces.
He added that the seminars and poetry evenings address a wide range of topics, from Nabati poetry in desert settings to poetry’s influence on Gulf music and national songs.
Participating poets also highlighted the festival’s cultural and historical significance.
Poet Musa Al Qubaisi recited a Nabati poem during the opening ceremony on Monday.
He said that the festival furthers national cultural objectives, saying: “These are the efforts of Abu Dhabi, our sheikhs, and the UAE in preserving our heritage and holding events like this.”
From a broader cultural perspective, he described such gatherings as “a service not only to the poet, but rather as a service to history itself, because poetry is what has preserved history for us until this day.
“Such gatherings are important because they last for years and years; people will remember the poems recited here.”
He also emphasised the importance of preserving poetry for future generations. “We must remember it, teach it to our children, recite poems to them. Poetry is our heritage, it preserves our histories, our battles, our occasions, and everything else… our stories and narratives.”
Poet and rababa performer Ali bin Mohammed Al-Kibali is performing with a group of poets over the three days.
He also underscored the cultural significance of the event, describing it as A platform that brings together poets and audiences while strengthening the presence of traditional artistic expression.
Al-Kibali said, “This festival is an important cultural event. People gather there, poets gather there, and we also participate with our poems.”
Hassan bin Thalith, senior events supervisor at the National Library and Archives, highlighted the institution’s cultural role in documenting and preserving literary and historical heritage through participation in the festival.
“We wanted to participate in these cultural events because it’s part of our main work, where we showcase our books and publications that discuss the history of the UAE, the ruling families of the UAE, and the history of the region as a whole,” he said.
He also noted the importance of poetry documentation, highlighting a poetry publication that focuses on Nabati poets in the UAE from ancient times.
