Karīm Maʿtūq and Other Winners of Amīr ash-shuʿarāʾ (Prince of Poets) First Contest

Summary

In 2007, the Abu Dhabi Festival and Heritage and Culture Program Commission (Lajnat Idārat al-Mahrajānāt wa al-Barāmij ath-Thaqāfiyya wa at-Turāthiyya) set before itself the goal of promoting Arabic poetry, which has lied at the heart of the Arab culture for centuries. The contest which is known as Amīr ash-shuʿarāʾ (Prince of Poets) is organized in the Theater Shāṭī ar-Rāḥa in Abu Dhabi. The purpose and condition of admission to the program is to create poetry in Arabic literary language (fuṣḥā). To qualify for the program, poets must submit a previously unpublished poem: either in free verse (ash-shiʿr al-ḥurr), in traditional form (al-ʿamūdī at-taqlīdī), or in the literary language (al-fuṣḥā).

Recitations are judged by a jury, which in the year 2007 included: ʿAlī bin Tamīm from the United Arab Emirates, ʿAbd al-Malik Murtāḍ from Algeria, and Ṣalāḥ Faḍal4 from Egypt. Poets, who come from all over the Arab world and must be aged 18–45, present their poems during live broadcast. After preliminary qualification, the jury selects twenty participants who go on to present their poetry to a vast audience on live television.

This annual media event presented on the Abu Dhabi television channel is called Amīr ash-shuʿarāʾ (Prince of Poets). The program, which similarly to the shows X-Factor or Idol belongs to the talent show genre, has already promoted dozens of outstanding poets. In addition, volumes of poetry are published in print. The program gathers a multi-million audience throughout the Arab world. When assessing poems, the judges pay attention to rhyme, rhythm and the way of recitation. The jury together with the audience chooses the best poet who receives the title of Amīr ash-shuʿarāʾ in honor of one of the most eminent Egyptian poets, Aḥmad Shawqī. This program brings together all the participants and observers throughout the Arab world and shows the common cultural heritage that goes back to the sixth century AD. It also plays an educational role in teaching about poetry, and thanks to the mass reach of television and the internet, it can be viewed in every Arabian home.