Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain meets with Tunisian President Qais Saied, and the announcement of the winners of the "Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Chair" Prize.
December 23, 2021
Poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain met with His Excellency Tunisian President Qais Saied this morning, Friday (24/12/2021), at the Presidential Palace in Carthage. This meeting took place in the context of celebrating the announcement of the winners of the first edition of the "Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Chair for Arab Poetry" prizes in Tunisia.
During the meeting, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain presented a commemorative shield to President Qais Saied, expressing his appreciation for the existing cultural relations with Tunisian cultural entities. He also extended an invitation for the President to attend the World Forum for the Culture of Just Peace, organized by the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation, which is scheduled to take place in Malta on March 3-4, 2022.
In the evening, the announcement ceremony for the winners of the "Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Chair for Arab Poetry" prizes took place at the Opera House in the Tunisian Culture City. The event was held under the esteemed patronage of Tunisian President Qais Saied and was attended by the Minister of Culture in Tunisia, Hayat Qattat Al-Qurmasi, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain, Kuwait's Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia, Ali Al-Zafiri, as well as ambassadors of Arab countries and several members of the Tunisian government.
The event commenced with the Kuwaiti and Tunisian national anthems, followed by a speech by the Tunisian Minister of Culture. Subsequently, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain delivered a speech that included one of his poems. The announcement of the prize winners followed, and they received their awards from President Qais Saied and poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain.
The Grand Poets Prize was equally awarded to poets Monsif Al-Mazghani and Hafez Mahfouz. Meanwhile, the Young Poets Prize was equally bestowed upon poets Nasri Al-Arradi and Ali Al-Araibi. Following the awards ceremony, a poetry evening was held featuring the winning poets reciting their awarded poems, followed by a musical performance.
Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain stated in his address, "My joy today is profound, for God has granted us all success in accomplishing the inaugural edition of the poetry competition dedicated to both young and senior poets within the framework of the 'Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Chair for Arab Poetry.' In this moment, I can only extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Presidency and the winning poets. I congratulate all of you, and I congratulate myself as well for the organization of this event. I also reaffirm my commitment before you to sponsor the activities of this chair, as an expression of appreciation for the sincere Kuwaiti-Tunisian brotherhood, which is an authentic Arab bond. My commitment is also a gesture of esteem towards the Tunisian Republic, as well as a tribute to the esteemed poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi and the poets of Tunisia, our fraternal nation."
It is worth mentioning that Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation has maintained a longstanding relationship with Tunisia, dating back to the early 1990s.