CAIRO: The Egyptian capital of Cairo hosted a ceremony honouring the winners of the 27th Sharjah Arab Creativity Award (first edition), which is held under the patronage of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Department of Culture in Sharjah in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.
During the ceremony, Dr. Hisham Azmi, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Culture, received Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Head of the Sharjah Department of Culture, and Professor Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Secretary-General of the Award.
Al Owais expressed his happiness with this cultural cooperation between the Sharjah Department of Culture and the Ministry of Culture in Egypt.
He also stressed the keenness of the Sharjah Ruler to continue these diverse cultural activities because of their impact on the Arab intellectual and writer.
He emphasised the
importance of providing the Arab cultural arena with more giving and cultural richness. Al Owais conveyed the greetings of the Ruler of Sharjah to all participants in the activities of the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity in its 27th session.
Dr. Hisham Azmi praised the continued support of the Ruler of Sharjah for Arab culture. This support will enhance the status of the Arab intellectual in society and allow them to play their important role in enlightening others. Dr. Azmi extended his thanks to the Sharjah Ruler for this support.
The award ceremony was held at the Culture and Arts Theatre of the Supreme Council of Culture in Egypt. It was attended by Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Professor Mohammed Ibrahim, Dr. Hisham Azmi, and a group of Egyptian and Arab intellectuals, writers, academics, and artists.
The Ruler of Sharjah directed that the celebration of the winners be transferred to other Arab countries. The award was first held outside the UAE in 2019, in Egypt. Since then, it has been hosted in
multiple Arab destinations. Egypt was a new destination for the award and its movement among Arab countries. The expansion and movement of the award in the Arab world reflects the vision of the Sharjah Cultural Project, which aims to spread cultural benefits throughout all Arab countries.
At the beginning of his speech, Al Qasir emphasised the importance of brotherhood and cohesion among Arab countries. He pointed out that when it comes to creative Arab youth, they represent great renewed ambitions, dreams, and hopes.
During a recent meeting, Mohammed Al Qasir emphasised the significance of the existing partnership between the Department of Culture in Sharjah and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. He explained that the meeting was a result of this collaboration, which has continued to grow over time. This cooperation has given rise to various creative spaces, including the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity – First Edition, which supports youth in fields such as poetry, short stories, novels, children’s liter
ature, theatre, and literary criticism.
Hisham Azmi welcomed the audience at the beginning of his speech and expressed his pleasure to host them at the Supreme Council of Culture, the Egyptian House of Culture, for the second time this year.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council explained that the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity aims to support talented and creative writers throughout the Arab world. The award specialises in manuscripts prepared for the first publication by the writer, which have not previously been published in a book in various fields.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Culture congratulated the young innovators who will be honoured and wished them prosperity in the future. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais and Mohammed Al Qasir, accompanied by Hisham Azmi, presented the 18 winners with certificates of appreciation for their creative efforts. The Department of Cultural Affairs had previously revealed the winners’ names during a press conference.
Following the award ce
remony, the scientific workshop started. It was titled ‘Narrative Techniques in the Contemporary Novel’ and included two main axes: ‘Narrative Techniques in the New Novel’ and ‘Interactive Narrative: Characteristics and Aesthetics.’ The workshop was supervised by the Egyptian writer Dr. Hussein Hamouda.
On Thursday, the workshop will continue with sessions discussing the topic of ‘Interactive Narrative: Features and Aesthetics’. The day will also feature poetry readings by the winners in the field of poetry.
Source: Emirates News Agency