A huge crowd attended the 1st Poetry Festival organized in the Drama Theater (Cultural Village Katara) by the Cultural Creativity Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. A large number of GCC poets from both genders participated in the festival, and they recited a number of wonderful poems that were greatly appreciated by audiences, particularly the patriotic and heritage poems.
The festival was attended by a number of important public figures namely HE Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al Thani, President of Garrafa Sport Club, the famed Saudi poet Mannaa Bin Shalhat, the poet Hamdan Al-Mirri, the poet Hamad Bin Mayqa and others in addition to a large number of intellectuals and interested persons in the field of poetry. The festival continued over two days; the first day was devoted to men whereas the second was devoted to women.

Speaking about the festival, Hassan Al-Saai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cultural Creativity Center said that the great number of visitors indicates that many people are interested in poetry; therefore, it is necessary to organize such an event on a continuous basis since it attracts a large crowd and has a pronounced impact upon them. He added that the presence of some important personalities in the festival emphasizes their support to all cultural and youth activities, stressing that the center was always keen on developing the different cultural skills of youth by organizing this kind of festivals, which would refine their talents.

For his part, Mohammed Al-Jafiri, Secretary-General of the Cultural Creativity Center expressed his happiness and satisfaction with the festival and extended his thanks to the attendees as well as the participating poets. “ The festival proved that there exist numerous gifted poets from Qatar and the Gulf in addition to the important role played by the festival in encouraging the other talented poets to participate,” he said, stressing that the festival was a quantum leap in the activities presented by the Cultural Creativity Center. He also pointed that many programs and activities will be launched during the coming period.

http://www.moc.gov.qa/English/news/Pages/The-1st-Poetry-Festival-of-the-Cultural-Creativity-Center.aspx