Specialists confirm the transformations imposed by the details of contemporary life

Popular poetry in the time of "communication". Aesthetics that threaten local privacy

Emirati poets and researchers confirmed that the great transformations witnessed by the details of contemporary life imposed their impact in one way or another on the features of the popular poem in terms of language, interpretations and even the nature of the poem's topic, especially among the new generation of poets, and specialists attributed the matter to several factors, most notably the mixing of cultures, and the great effects of social media, in addition to that the great cultural diversity that characterizes the UAE contributed significantly to this influence, noting that despite the importance and features of these influences that were granted The poem is a new aesthetic, but it is necessary to work to protect the local vocabulary and the specificity of the local folk poem that distinguishes it from other places and countries.

Influential element

Emirati poet Saif Al-Saadi told Emirates Today: There is no doubt that the poet is an influential element in the body of culture and literature, because poetry tops any literary system as it is present in the various elements of this system, poetry is a theater, a story, prose and a novel, and even in the drawn image we find poetry presence and representations. Hence, poetry raised its bridge, which is linked to generations, and it is difficult to form the experience of the glorious poet without relying on the experiences of the pioneers and those who preceded them, and in this connection paving a solid path on which poetry walks from memory to reality, and from time to time thanks to the connection of a promising generation with generations past.

He added: «The degree of interest of the poet in his talent may increase, and the degree of interest may be subject to decline according to the data and tools of time, but the bet on the survival of poetry is held on the corners of experiences occupied with knowledge, culture and friction».

In the Digital Age

Al-Saadi stressed the great role played by social media in the spread of popular poetry among the new generation, saying: "Digital publishing records a presence that robs the reality of life, being part of the identity of this progressive and technological era; let me confess to you the necessity of social media, which has greatly facilitated the communication of humanity with each other, and with complete ease. The poet is a social human being like his species, and he went with them towards this technological boom that meets their needs with the push of a button, and made it easier for him to publish it and achieve its spread to the farthest point that can be reached from this vast world."

Al-Saadi pointed out that: «The change of the language of poetry depends on the openness of nations to each other since ancient times, and we live today in the time of scientific progress and digital publishing, which is a space available to learn about many dialects in a period of time and without hardship or trouble, as I see in the convergence of dialects an opportunity to formulate a comprehensive language in which poets write their poems to be read from the Gulf to the ocean without obstacles».

He added: «The poet, in turn, maintains his written identity by preserving his local vocabulary, with the need to update his linguistic structure by innovation and capturing the expressive image of a unique nature».

Environment and vocabulary

The researcher Ali Al-Abdan pointed out that the environment is a major element that the poet is affected by in writing poetry, as the old vocabulary that was used in the past was taken from the environment surrounding the poets, which is often either vocabulary related to the people of the sea or the desert, which was not missed by most of the recipients of the new generation and said: «It is certain that poets of the new generation are not like the ancients, but they are excellent poets, and their poems are commensurate with the quality of the listeners at this time; The poet acquires the language of those who use ancient vocabulary in their poems, which comes from their marine and Bedouin environment, which many of the current generation certainly do not know because this environment has changed from the past."

Babysitting poets

The researcher Al-Abdan stressed that one of the most important reasons that help in refining the poet's talent is to babysit great poets, as it gives him the correct poetic and linguistic skills, and gave the example of the Emirati poet Saif Hamad Sulaiman Al Shamsi, saying: «Many Emirati poets began to write poetry after sitting with poets who are older, for example, the Emirati poet Saif Hamad Sulaiman Al Shamsi was associated from a young age with the council of his father, the poet Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Shamsi, and he also lived with a number of poets of the first generation such as Rashid Al-Khidr, the poet Ghanem Al-Asri, the poet Salem Al-Dhafari and many other well-known Ajman poets, which helped him acquire language skills that distinguish him from other poets."

Al-Abdan pointed out that the skill of the poet Al Shamsi relied heavily on his establishment among the great poets and stressed the importance of this period in establishing and refining the skills of the poet, as he said: «The poet Al Shamsi learned to write poetry from listening to great poets who have a lot of vocabulary that we do not know now, so they have the ability to use all letters and phonetic qualities in the language, which led to the reflection of this matter on his poetry».

Attention and documentation

Poet and media member of the organizing committee of the Sharjah Nabati Poetry Festival, Maryam Al Naqbi, told Emirates Today: "Poetry exists. Everyone wishes to become a poet because of the great interest that the UAE attaches to Nabati poetry, but we hope that there will be greater interest and seriousness in preserving and exporting this important poetic heritage in our Gulf and Emirati societies."

Maryam Al Naqbi:

• "Everyone wishes to become a poet because of the great attention that the UAE pays to Nabati poetry."

interest

The UAE has always been interested in popular heritage, as it has been and still holds poetry sessions constantly, and festivals and poetry evenings are organized that will promote this art and honor pioneers in this field, including the Sharjah Nabati Poetry Festival, in which poets were not only honored, but also documented their achievements in publications documenting their busy career.