(From left) Talal Al-Rumaidhi, the Secretary General of Kuwait Writers Association, Emirati Poet Abdullah Al-Hadiyah Al- Shehi, Mohammad Al-Asousi, the Acting Secretary General of National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), Omani Poet Hisham Al-Saghri and Kuwaiti Poet Mishaal Al-Harbi.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Writers Association, in collaboration with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), organized an evening of Arabic poetry 'Omssiyah' on Wednesday, August 17, 2016, at Suad Al-Sabah theatre Auditorium in Al-Odailiyah area. It was held on the occasion of selecting Kuwait as the Capital of Islamic Culture for this year which is adopted by Islamic, Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization (ISESCO) program of Islamic Cultural Capitals. The poetry night 'Omssiyah', which was held at Kuwait Writers Association's premises, began at 7:00 pm and went on for over one hour. It was divided into two sessions.

In the beginning, well-known Kuwaiti poet and novelist Mohammad Humoud Al-Bughaili, who moderated the Omssiyah, welcomed the dignitaries, participants and audience before he introduces the poets to audience.

The three invited poets were Abdullah Al-Hadiyah Al-Shehi, who came from the UAE, Hisham Al-Saghri from the Sultanate of Oman and the Kuwaiti poet Mishaal Al-Harbi. They recited some of their own works respectively and devoted more than one hour of the 11th Summer Cultural Festival to fruitful exchange of thoughts and poetry through these two reading sessions.

Collections

The first poet to recite poems in the first session was veteran Emirati poet Abdullah Al-Hadiyah Al-Shehi. He read out from his collections of poems such as 'The Seeker of Aram', 'This is a Secret of my Problem', and They Lost Me', which all relate to the themes of history, traditions and the current Arab nation's situation. In fact, memory also was a dominant topic in his poems. One of his finest poems that received massive appreciation was 'Raiyanat Aloud' and charged the atmosphere in the auditorium.

Abdullah Al-Hadiyah Al-Shehi was born in 1962. He is one of the most eminent Emirati poets, columnist and radio broadcaster. He writes in both Nabati (local poetry) and Fasseeh (standard Arabic poetry), therefore, his poems are considered among the most powerful classics in modern Arabic literature. He has a degree in Arabic language. His poems have been published in various Arabic literary journals and local Emirati newspapers. He has three collections of poems to his credit, namely: 'To What Time', 'Where Are You' and 'The Seeker of Aram'.

Latest poems

The second poet of that session was promised Omani poet Hisham Al-Saghri, he recited some of his latest poems including 'The Mirror of Heavens', 'No Border for Love' and 'Breath of my Wine'. His poems dealt with patriotism, empowering the downtrodden and natural beauty. His voice was melodious and loaded with deep emotions at that night which created an atmosphere peace and calmness in the auditorium.

Despite the fact that he has not yet published a full-length poetry collection to his credit, Saghri is a distinguished Omani poet who has written numerous poems which have appeared in several Arabic literary magazines and local Omani newspapers. He got the fourth place in the fifth season (2013) of the classical Arabic poetry competition Prince of Poets, the annual cultural and reality television competition for Arabic poetry which was launched in 2007 by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Selected works

The third and last poet to recite poems in the session was noted Kuwaiti poet Mishaal Al-Harbi, who read out some of his selected poems like 'Nonplus', 'Or the Flood', 'The Journey of Loss', 'From the Gulf to the Gulf' and 'The Glass of Passion', which mostly talked about love, beauty as well as aesthetics.

Mishaal Al-Harbi is a celebrated Kuwait poet who was featured in the second season's episodes of the prestigious competition show (2008) Prince of Poets on the United Arab Emirates television network, Abu Dhabi TV, the satellite channel which is currently dedicated and promoted the importance of classical Arabic poetry and its value among the young poets in the Arab world.

Finally, the certificate of participation (an award plaque) was distributed to all participants by Mohammad Al-Asousi, the Acting General Secretary of National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and Talal Al-Rumaidhi, the General Secretary of Kuwait Writers Association who were the chief guests and they proposed the vote of thanks to the audience, poets and lovers of poetry.

By Bader Abu Raghabah A-Otaibi