Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and within the framework of the Poetry Forums initiative in Africa, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire saw the launch of the second edition of the Arab Poetry Forum, organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC), in cooperation with the Vision Foundation for Culture and Training in the capital “Abidjan”, with the participation of 20 poets.
The forum was held in a neighbourhood, in the heart of Abidjan, in the presence of His Excellency Ali Youssef Al Nuaimi, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoir, and Dr. Fadiga Moussa, President of Al Fourqane University in Côte d’Ivoire, and Dr. Mohammed Al Amin Bamba, Vice President of the Islamic University of Africa, and heads of Arab diplomatic missions, as well as professors of universities and institutes, and other personalities interested in literature, science and culture.
At the beginning, the General Coordinator of the Forum, Dr. Bamba Issaka welcomed the audience to this joyful ceremony that came to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoir from Sharjah, the capital of Arabic poetry.
Dr. Bamba Issaka expressed his thanks, appreciation and gratitude to His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, for providing support and care to serve the Arabic language in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoir, as it is the language of science, knowledge, culture, and Islamic civilisation, highlighting that most of the manuscripts in Africa were written in Arabic.
His Excellency Ali Al Nuaimi delivered a speech, in which he emphasised the keenness of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, to support the Arabic language and literature. He shed light on His Highness’s unlimited support for poetry forums that are held in a number of African countries, referring to the UAE’s role in many cultural contributions regionally and globally.
Al Nuaimi stated that during the past period, he met African students studying Arabic at Al Qasimia University, within the framework of the support provided by the UAE, especially the Emirate of Sharjah. He added that the forum will reveal many young poetic talents, and in turn, they will be supported.
Fadiga Moussa, President of Al Fourqane University, expressed his happiness with the forum, which he considered a scientific ceremony that expresses the essence of Arabic poetry in Côte d’Ivoir.
The participating creators made a series of lively readings, which had a variety of poetic themes.
20 Poets at Poetry Forum in Côte d’Ivoire
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