SHARJAH, 11th February, 2025 (WAM) -- The Islamic Republic of Mauritania celebrated the launch of the 10th edition of the Nouakchott Arabic Poetry Festival, which is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The three-day event, organised by the Sharjah Department of Culture, features extensive participation from Mauritanian poets, intellectuals, and writers, as well as representatives from Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Gambia.

The festival's opening ceremony was held at the Conference Palace in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, in the presence of Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture; Safia Mint Antaha, Minister of Social Work, Childhood and Family in Mauritania; Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs; Abdul Rahman Al Hassan, Governor of the capital, Nouakchott; Taleb Al Mahjoub, Mayor of the Municipality of the City of Tevragh Zeina; in addition to local cultural institutions, academics and poetry lovers.

The opening ceremony began with a recorded documentary, which took the audience on a journey through the events and activities of 2024, showcasing key highlights such as poetry evenings, literary seminars, forums, discussions, and new publications presented by the House of Poetry in Nouakchott throughout the year.

Al Owais said that the House of Poetry in Nouakchott has devoted its efforts over the past years to gathering Mauritanian poets to take turns on the House's platform, supporting young poets and poetry pioneers.

He pointed to the close cooperation between the Department of Culture and the Mauritanian Ministry of Culture, saying that the House of Poetry should continue to give through various cultural activities, crowned by distinguished poetry readings and purposeful critical studies.

Al Owais congratulated the poets who have published new collections, stressing that publishing raises the status of poetry and literature.

Safia Mint Antaha expressed her appreciation to H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah for his valuable initiatives in promoting Arab culture, especially the "Poetry Houses Initiative", which includes the House of Poetry in Nouakchott.

She added that the House of Poetry in Nouakchott has been organising this festival for ten consecutive years to be a beacon of culture and poetic creativity in the Arab world and the African continent.

Mint Antaha said that the Ministry of Culture, Arts, Communication and Relations with Parliament has worked over the past years to strengthen this cooperation with the Department of Culture in Sharjah, and this has been demonstrated through the House of Poetry in Nouakchott, by organising many literary festivals and cultural gatherings in various fields.

Dr. Abdullah Al Sayed, Director of the House of Poetry in Nouakchott, stated that the city welcomed the initiative of H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah, leading to the establishment of its second House of Poetry in Nouakchott, which began operations on 3rd September 2015. Since then, the house has been committed to implementing ambitious programs and visions to create serious cultural spaces.

He added that this year's festival edition features five distinguished poets from Senegal, Mali, Gambia, and Guinea, and will include the signing of a Senegalese poetry collection published by the Department of Culture.

The 10th edition saw the honouring of four Mauritanian creators: the poet Mohamed Ould Taleb, the poet Sidi Mohamed Ould Bamba, Dr. Mohamed Al Mahboubi, and the poet and media figure Abu Bakr Al Mami.

The first day of the festival was accompanied by the opening of an exhibition of a number of publications of the Sharjah Department of Culture in addition to the department's publications represented by the poetry collections of the House of Poetry in Nouakchott.