The ninth season of the "Poet of the Million" program, which will be held at Al Raha Beach Theater in Abu Dhabi, will kick off today, with the participation of 48 poets from 12 countries.
The Chairman of the Committee on the Management of Festivals and Cultural and Heritage Programs in Abu Dhabi, Major General Faris Al Mazrouei, stated in his speech on his behalf, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Issa Saif Al Mazrouei, during the press conference held yesterday morning in the Mohammed Khalaf Council in Abu Dhabi, that the program that was discovered and presented to the Arab public, since its inception His first edition in 2007, about 400 poetic talents reached the final stages, thousands of poets participating during the past seasons, millions of follow-ups and observations; he was able to achieve a major achievement that is calculated for Abu Dhabi, and testifies to her in successfully changing the map of Nabati poetry, and re-sorting the poetic scene and Its monotony and fairness, it is consistent with the main goal of the program, which is to preserve Nabatean poetry that is part of the heritage of the Arab region, work to increase its popularity, and raise its status; to return to the front of Arab literature, and enhance moral and national values.
He clarified that the "Poet of the Million" embodies the vision of the Abu Dhabi Festival and Cultural Programs Management Committee to preserve the inherited heritage, consolidate its values and transmit it to generations after generation to ensure the formation of a cultural movement that extends its influence regionally and globally, to be validated throughout the globe with the values of tolerance and coexistence established in a state The Emirates, the homeland of tolerance and humanitarian giving.
For his part, member of the jury of the competition, director of the Poetry Academy, Sultan Al-Amimi, said that the committee met this year during its tours more than 1500 poets, pointing out that the committee’s decision to increase the number of poets listed on the list of 100 came after it touched the high level of poets ’talent in The last three seasons.
Al-Amimi indicated that the program is based on competition between poets, but it mainly aims to upgrade Nabati poetry, which is an important part of the Gulf identity, and to improve poetic taste, as well as poetic criticism.
Whereas, the jury member, Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan, warned the participating poets against what he called "unnecessary what is not necessary" or "the trap", which is that the poet in his poem before the jury adheres to two specific letters at the end of the verses, in order to prove his competence and capabilities, explaining This matter requires commitment to the formation and movements of the two letters, which is a difficult matter that the poet makes mistakes that he is indispensable to.
He pointed out that there are criteria for selection, such as the superiority of the poem and the brilliance of the poet, as well as the national and national premises that are included in the posts. He considered that there is no competition between colloquial and eloquent poetry, or colloquial dialects on the one hand, and classical Arabic on the other, and neither will eliminate the other.
15 million dirhams
The program, which is produced by the Committee for the Management of Festivals and Cultural and Heritage Programs in Abu Dhabi, is presented by the poet and journalist Hussein Al-Amri, and by the media Asmahan Al-Naqbi. The episodes are broadcast over 15 weeks every Tuesday evening. The prizes granted by the program reach 15 million dirhams, the winner of the first place gets the title and five million dirhams, while the second place winner gets four million dirhams, the third gets three million dirhams, the fourth gets two million dirhams, the fifth on one million dirhams, and the sixth 600 One thousand dirhams.
The "program" aims to preserve the inherited heritage, establish its values, and pass it on to generations.