10 April 2008
Abu Dhabi: Qatar once again succeeded in carrying the flag for native Bedouin poetry, known as nabati for the second year.
Khalil Ebrahim Al Shabrami from Qatar was honoured on Tuesday night by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister in the final episode of the Million's Poet TV show broadcast live on Abu Dhabi TV.
Al Shabrami, along with other four competitors, reached the final after four months of competing with 48 poets from different Arab countries. He gained the highest viewer vote and the jury marked him 42 out of 50. Emirati poet Mohammad Bin Hammad Al Ka'abi came second, while Yemeni poet Amer Bin Amro won third place.
Al Shabrami received a cheque for Dh1 million and the "flag of poetry" as his fellow citizen Mohammad Bin Fates did last year.
The competition is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in an effort to bring alive a traditional form of poetry loved by a wide range of people in the region.
General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended part of the episode showing support for the competition and the beauty of the language.
Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnon Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADAHC and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum also attended the show.
By Eman Mohammed
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
