The initiative reflects Sharjah’s strategy of establishing cultural infrastructure through awards, festivals and dedicated poetry houses.
The 11th Nouakchott Festival for Arabic Poetry concluded earlier this month in Mauritania’s capital, marking a significant milestone in Sharjah’s sustained cultural investment across the Arab world.
Organised by the Sharjah Department of Culture and held at the Nouakchott House of Poetry, the three-day event brought together Mauritanian poets alongside participants from Senegal, Mali and my own stomping ground, The Gambia.
Institutional Framework
The festival represents a long-term institutional commitment rather than occasional sponsorship. The Nouakchott House of Poetry, established as the second such institution under Sharjah’s cultural initiative, has operated for over a decade as a permanent platform for nurturing West African poetic talent and facilitating dialogue between generations.
This edition featured critical seminars examining structural evolution in modern Mauritanian poetry, alongside nostalgic poetry evenings and book signings for collections published by the Sharjah Department of Culture.
Publishing Dimensions
The event included signings for three poetry collections: Maznatun min Al-Ghaib by Bebaha Badiouh, Salalim Ukhra lil-Najat by Mohammed Idoum, and Marafi’ Al-Hurouf by Al Hassan Mohammed Mahmoud.
These publications demonstrate Sharjah’s role not merely as a festival sponsor but as an active poetry publisher operating across national boundaries.
The View From The Beach
Participants from across West Africa emphasised the festival’s role in positioning Mauritania within broader Arabic literary discourse while preserving classical poetic traditions as components of national identity.
The initiative reflects Sharjah’s strategy of establishing cultural infrastructure- through awards, festivals and dedicated poetry houses – that operates continuously rather than as one-off interventions.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
