Doha: The 7th round of the Mthayel Nabati Poetry Competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture represented by the Qatar Poetry Center Diwan Al Ara, concluded at Darb Al Saai in Umm Salal.
Poet Abdullah Nasser Al Subaie qualified for the final round set to be held in December in line with Qatar’s National Day.
The main topic of the 8th round will be envy. It will be open to all poets in Qatar, both nationals and residents.
Director of the Publications and Artistic Works Department at the Ministry of Culture Poet Mubarak Al Khalifa praised Mthayel’s turnout and that Qatar’s poetry scene is at a high level and many special poetry programs are organized that feature well-known names.
What distinguishes Mthayel is its transparency which helped attract a wide range of poets and over the past months it saw fierce competition that only kept on getting stronger, Al Khalifa said.
He explained that Mthayel has a positive impact on the poetry scene especially as it includes poets from Gulf countries as well as s
ome other Arab countries. Qatari poets and residents of Qatar have a round specifically for them and many are anticipating hearing their talent.
Director of the Publications and Artistic Works Department at the Ministry of Culture said that he hopes to see Qatar claim the title of the Mthayel Nabati Poetry Competition.
Al Khalifa added that the Ministry of Culture and the Qatar Poetry Center always cooperate with all the winners of poetry competitions held in Qatar, for their shared goal in supporting talents and creatives.
The 7th round witnessed strong competition between the five qualified poets who presented their poems in front of the judging panel and the audience at Darb Al Saai.
The poets included Abdullah Nasser Al Subaie, Abdulghani Ali Al Qarni, Badr Hamad Al Dhahi, Sultan Hijab Al Otaibi, and Abdullah Khashman Al Hajri.
The judging panel included Hamad bin Saleh Al Marri and Hamad bin Abdullah Al Naimi from Qatar, Dhaidan Al Marikhi from Saudi Arabia, Mishaal Al Zaabi from Kuwait, and Hamoud
bin Wahqa from Oman.
The members of the jury expressed their happiness with the level of the poets who qualified for this stage and whose poems reflected depth which enhances the status of poetry in society and in turn helps produce more promising poetic talents.
They took appreciation of Al Subaie’s poem that touched on the topic of trust for its cohesion, distinctive poetic imagery, and valuable vocabulary.
In the improvisation section, the five poets were presented with a line from the work of the late poet Saleh bin Sultan Al Kuwari, one of the pioneers of Qatari poetry, by telling three verses with the chosen line used at the beginning or the end of the poem.
Kuwaiti poet Al Subaie expressed his happiness at being the one to qualify for the final since all participating poets share similar levels.
He affirmed that he would do his best to claim the title in the final round.
Al Subaie said that Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and the Qatar Poetry Center are doing amazing work in spreading Nabati poetry i
n the region with Mthayel which stems from positive values in society.
He also said that the Ministry of Culture is doing a great job at promoting the event and highlighting Nabati poetry through its platforms which was how he discovered it.
Saudi poet Al Marakhi, a member of the judging panel, said that the 7th round featured the true art of poetry. The poets were creative and firm with their poems on the topic of trust, resulting in an extremely strong competition.
He pointed out that the final result was very close which shows the great talent of the participating poets. He also highlighted the youth’s increasing participation and excitement as well as the quality of work submitted which shows a positive outlook for the future of Nabati poetry in the region.
Source: Qatar News Agency
