Tunisian academic Mahrez Ben Mohsen Rachdi claimed the premier award at the 22nd Sharjah Festival of Arabic Poetry, which concluded a week-long celebration of the region’s verse on Monday. The festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, gathered more than 80 poets, critics, and media figures from across the Arab world and Africa.
Rachdi secured first prize for his critical study, “The Discursive Structure in Modern Arabic Poetry (Foundational Questions and Applied Practices).” His win highlights Tunisia’s active role in contemporary Arabic literary criticism.
The opening ceremony featured a documentary, “Years of Poetry,” marking a decade since Sheikh Sultan’s initiative to establish a network of “Houses of Poetry” across the Arab world. The project is credited with revitalizing the poetic tradition by creating dedicated hubs for creation and dialogue.
Following the awards, the evening was devoted to live readings. The Tunisian presence was further underscored by poet Mabrouk Sayyari, who took to the stage alongside peers from the UAE, Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon, delivering his work to an engaged audience at the Sharjah Cultural Palace.
Beyond the accolades, the festival functions as a dynamic forum for debate and exchange between poets, critics, and journalists. This environment aims to nurture new voices and strengthen poetry’s role in cultural dialogue and linguistic preservation.
Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi’s longstanding patronage has cemented Sharjah’s position as a central hub for Arab culture, providing a platform where poets from the Maghreb to the Gulf, like Rachdi and Sayyari, find a celebrated audience for their work.
TunisianMonitorOnline (BRC)
