Session 8:
Ali bin Al-Moqarrab Al-Ayouni, Manama, Bahrain, 1-3- October 2002:

          This Session named after the poet «Ali bin Al-Moqarrab Al-Ayouni», who never acquired his entitled appreciation. He was not under the spotlights of the large capitals as he lived in the eastern area of the Arab peninsula in a tumultuous period, which did not receive its due concern.

          Poet «Ibrahim Touqan» was chosen as an alternative poet in this session because he expressed the meaning of the Palestinian wounds, the outcry of martyrdom to the ears of the Arab peoples and made poetry a substitute for the rifle. His choice came as a reiteration of the Arab integration with the Palestinian Revolution, which is fighting its fiercest battles.

          The Foundation decided to convene this session in the Kingdom of Bahrain as it witnessed a new era of openness and democracy under the rule of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al-Khalifa. It was under his Majesty’s patronage that the ceremony was inaugurated with the attendance of a large number of poets, critics and cultured personalities from different Arab countries.

The prizes were awarded during this session as follows:

1. The Poetic Creativity Prize, valued at US$ 50,000 (US Dollars forty thousand), was awarded to the renowned Bahraini poet Mr. Ibrahim Abdulhussein Al-Urayyid for his distinctive poetic contributions. His son, Dr. Abduljalil Al-Urayyid, received the prize.

2. The Poetry Criticism Prize, valued at US$ 40,000 (US Dollars forty thousand), was awarded to the Iraqi critic Dr. Abdulwahid Lu’lu’a for his critical works that revealed the importance of acculturization in enriching contemporary Arab poetry, specifically his work titled «The Waste Land, the Poet and the Poem».

3. The Best Divan Prize, valued at US$ 20,000 (US Dollars twenty thousand), was awarded to the Algerian poet Dr. Abdullah Hammadi for his collection entitled «The Isthmus and the Knife».

4. The Best Poem Prize, valued at US$ 10,000 (US Dollars ten thousand), was awarded to the Egyptian poet Ahmed Bikheet for his poem «Goodbye Desert».

          * A literary seminar was held during the meeting comprised of two parts: part one was about Ibn Al-Moqarrab Al-Ayouni and his age; and part two was on the life and poetry of Ibrahim Touqan. The meeting also included evening poetry recitals.

          * The meeting also held a special session honor the Foundation’s Secretary General, Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Surayea.