On the sidelines of the meeting of Ministers of Culture in Oman .. Honoring the creators of the GCC countries

Mazen Al Mahfoudhi - Oman

A ceremony was held on Thursday at the Al Bustan Palace in the Omani capital to honor the creators of the GCC countries in the presence of the ministers of culture in recognition of the right of outstanding and prominent and creative sons and daughters of the GCC countries for their creativity in order to promote cultural work in the region, coinciding with the meeting held in Muscat.

Omani novelist Jokha Al Harthiya was honored by the Man Booker International Prize winner 2019 - Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University and holds a PhD in Ancient Literature from the University of Edinburgh, UK - during the ceremony in the presence of a large crowd of cultural and media professionals.

Bus rides
Al-Harthiya has presented several international and local lectures, the most important of which is a lecture at the United Nations University in the Japanese capital Tokyo in 2011 entitled "Culture in Oman".

She also participated in “Shabak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture” in London in 2013, and was a member of many cultural and literary institutions in the Sultanate and abroad. She also ruled a number of literary books such as the book “Using Heritage in the Omani Novel” by Bakhita Al Quraini.

In addition to the Man Booker International Award, she also won the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature 2016, the Omani Award for Best Children's Literature and Fiction for 2010, and the second place in the collection of stories for the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity.

Luminous Stations
During the ceremony, Qatari actor and playwright Ghazi Hussein was honored for his rich artistic career in which he provided the Gulf and Arab art scene with his various artistic contributions.

Hussein is considered one of the pioneers of the art movement in the region, and participated in several plays, the first play "the rest of the commandment" with the Qatar Theater Group, which won a series of awards at the Arab level during the mid-seventies.

His biggest prominence came after appearing in television series and participating in many local, Gulf and Arab series where he starred in the series "Oops Sidi Al-Wad" and followed in several series such as "Akher Al-Anqoud, Fayez Al-Toush, Tanatif, Hakam Al-Bishr, Another Day" and many other works. Dramatic accompanied by senior actors and directors.

Hussein started his artistic career in 1968 by presenting programs for children and Fawazir Ramadan, in addition to his most prominent contributions in the children's program "Open Sesame, your safety."

This actor contributed to the establishment of the Drama Monitoring Section and the establishment of the popular radio, and became an observer for twenty years, in addition to his work as an observer in the Urdu-speaking radio for more than twenty years.

He expressed to Al Jazeera Net his great happiness with this honor, stressing that it came after a march full of diverse artistic works for more than fifty years, expressing his desire to continue and give in the coming years.

List of Honorees
Taleb Al-Rifai won the Kuwait Prize in Literature for his novel "The Smell of the Sea" in 2002, and the same prize in 2016 for the novel "in our God" in addition to a number of local and Arab awards. He has a number of other publications such as "Abu Ajaj long-lived, I close my soul on you" and others.

He is a member of a number of local and international literary institutions and has conducted a number of studies in the field of literature.

The Kuwaiti writer said that what she received in honor of science, art and culture and appreciation of the great sacrifices made by the creators.

Two from each Gulf state were honored during the ceremony, and from the UAE honored d. Fatima Sayegh for her proficiency in the history of science, and Muhammad Mandi, who is considered one of the most famous calligraphers in his country.

He also honored Khalid Al-Shaikh, Khalid Al-Mahrouqi (Bahrain), Kamal Mansour Al-Moallem in Fine Arts, writer Saad Al-Bazei (Saudi Arabia), novelist Al-Harthy, media and playwright Yusuf Al-Balushi (Oman), Hussein and Educational Maryam Al-Nuaimi (Qatar), writer Rafiei, writer and playwright Hussein Abdullah Al-Musallam (Kuwait).

It is honored annually in conjunction with the meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Gulf States, and includes the areas of literary criticism and biography, translation of studies and intellectual production and the realization of heritage and literary and performing arts, audiovisual, crafts and traditional industries.

Through the General Secretariat, the GCC countries have been keen to encourage intellectual, literary and artistic movement and support creative products through many cultural programs and activities.