The eighth season of the "Prince of Poets" competition, organized by the Department of Festivals and Cultural and Heritage Programs, will take place on the Al Raha Beach Theater in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of 20 poets who have qualified for the final competitions over 10 weeks. From January 29 to April 2.

In his speech at a press conference held yesterday at the Council of Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei in Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for the Management of Festivals and Cultural and Heritage Programs in Abu Dhabi, Issa Al Mazrouei pointed out that the great cultural project launched by Abu Dhabi is now known in the most important centers of culture in the world, Either through its World Book Fair, interactive mass-media programs or continuous musical seasons, the restoration of historic buildings, the establishment of museums with a global perspective, as well as the interest in folklore.

Warning

For his part, asked a member of the jury of the competition researcher Sultan Al-Amimi if the competition will see this year the culmination of «Princess of poets» in light of the strong presence of poets in the competition, warning male poets of this strong competition. He added: «The competition has undergone a significant and dangerous transformation, through the poetic presence of poets in exchange for poets, and after the number of poets in the first season were six poets out of 35 poets, by 17%, the number jumped in the seventh season to 10 poets out of 20 poets , By 50%, and then the number of this season to 11 poets out of 20 poets, by 55%. However, this serious shift in the ratio of poets to poets has not yet witnessed the coronation of a poet of the title of the Emirate of poetry, a title that appears to be no longer in the face of this fierce competition, and in light of what poets offer of levels of poetry is very distinctive, predicts an important presence of the poem Female in the competition in particular, and the poetic arena in general ».

numbers

Al-Amimi reviewed a number of contest numbers that reflect the strong participation of poets. The number of female poets since the beginning of the competition reached 50 poets. The number of nationalities to which they belong is 15 nationalities: Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania.

Egypt topped the list of seven poets, followed by Algeria and Palestine with six poets each, followed by the UAE, Sudan and Syria with five poets each. Then Jordan by four poets, then Tunisia by three poets, then Oman and Morocco by two poets, and then Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Mauritania as a poet from each country. The number of poets who qualified for the second round of the competition 20 poets, or 40% of the total number of poets, while the number of poets who reached the pre-final stage, the six stage, five poets, belonging to four countries, , And poet from Iraq, Syria and Algeria. This number represents 10% of the number of poets, and the number of poets who reached the final of the competition three poets, poets from Sudan and poet from Iraq, or by 6%, while the best result of a poet in the final date of the competition fourth place in the first season (18 years), the youngest poet in the history of the competition entered the qualifiers and was chosen by the jury of qualified poets to the competition, and is participating in the eighth season. The number of poems by the 50 poets in the competition in all the stages they reached from the first to the eighth 159 poems.

Office of Tolerance

While the member of the jury, Dr. Ali bin Tamim, that the eighth season of the "poet million" coincides with the year of tolerance in the UAE «From this perspective; if we look at the Arabic poetry we find was the basis of the value of tolerance, Marginalized, and preserved the aesthetics of minorities in the history of Arab poetry and remained a treasure for it, and will remain the guarantee for achieving this communication ».

Poems without restrictions

The members of the jury stressed that there are no restrictions on poems chosen by poets. And that the acceptance criteria of the poems are based mainly on the absence of prejudices and quality level and the ability of the poet to deliver. Sultan al-Amimi added: "The ceiling of freedom in the competition is open to topics, and in its history has not rejected a poem for any poet away from what poets mentioned from the competition to prevent poems for them, this is not true, and did not happen since the first season and so far.

- Number of poets participating in the first season

Six poets from 35 poets, and in the season

The seventh is 10 poets of 20 poets, and in the season

Current 11 Poets of 20 Poets.

- 159

A poem by the 50 poets in the competition since the first season.