Qasimi opens Literary and Cultural Lounge

Sheikh Haitham bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Deputy Chief of the Sharjah Ruler's Office in Kalba, opened yesterday the first season of the Literary and Cultural Lounge at Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi. The event will run until 31 March.Sheikh Haitham was accompanied by Abdullah Al Yamahi, Chairman of Kalba Municipal Council, Hisham Al Madhloum, Director of the Directorate of Arts at the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information. They were received by Aisha Deemas, Director of Executive Affairs at SMD, and a number of curators of museums.The first cultural season hosted at Bait Sheikh Saeed Al Qasimi will highlight the various intellectual and cultural activities carried out by SMD and other participating parties. The event is aimed at promoting culture and serious thinking as well as at enhancing channels of communication between the generation of well-established poets and men of letters and the younger generation.The Sharjah Centre for Popular Poetry and the UAE Writers Association will participate in the event with their creative releases and publications, along with the Directorate of Art at the Department of Information and Culture-Sharjah, Dubai Culture and Art Authority, and the Sharjah Centre for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation.On the day of opening, a poetry session held and attended by poet Abdullah Hadiya Al Shehi, and poet Al Hanouf Mohammad, a member of the UAE Writers Association, who will read some of their own poetry.Speaking on the occasion, Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department (SMD), said, "The first cultural season of the literary and cultural lounge organised by SMD at Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi is part of the UAE and Sharjah's celebration of World Poetry Day. We expect the event, which will be held with the attendance of the Deputy Chief of the Ruler's Office in Kalba and a group of prominent literary and intellectual figures in the Emirate, most notably Sheikha Hind and Sheikha Asma, among others, who will add richly to the atmosphere of the event and its distinguished venue at Bait Sheikh Saeed Al Qasimi, to contribute significantly to Sharjah's already rich cultural fabric." A poetry session dedicated to women will be held on 24 March. The session will be given by Sheikha Hind bint Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Kalba Cultural, Social and Sports Club for Women, and Sheikha Asma bint Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Cultural Committee at the Kalba Club, as well as a group of female poets, school principals and government organisations. The session will be moderated by poet Sheikha Abdullah Al Mutairi, Director of the National Heritage Department at Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage.On the sidelines of the literary and cultural event, SMD will host "Qawafi and Horouf" exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Department of Arts in the Eastern Region and the Sharjah Centre for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation. The exhibition will feature calligraphic paintings by UAE and Arab artists, including fine artist and calligrapher Khalid Ali Al Jallaf, calligrapher and fine artist Ali Mohammed Al Amiri, Head of the Arabic Language team at Dubai Municipality.The exhibition also showcases calligraphic works by artists, namely Mohammed Farouq Al Haddad, Mohammed Nouri Rasoul, Mosab Shamil Al Douri, Hosam Abdul Wahhab Al Masri, Ameed Rabbani, and female calligrapher Majida Saleem from the Sharjah Centre for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation, and calligrapher Abdul Razzaq Mohammed Al Mahmoud from the Kalba Arts Centre.The Kalba Arts Centre will present a workshop on Arabic calligraphy, while the Sharjah Centre for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation will organise an exhibition featuring the various tools of writing, such as pens, ink, and writing papers.Also, there will be an exhibition on the releases of Sheikhs Hind bint Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Kalba Cultural, Social and Sports Club for Women, and Sheikha Asma bint Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Cultural Committee at the Kalba Club