Poetry and Oral Tradition
You'd have to look away from the towers that skim the sky and out to sea to remember that the region's fragile pearling economy was the lifeblood of the region long before the first oil well was drilled in the 60s, then listen to the desert wind to understand that poetry is the ultimate literature, handed down from mouth to mouth for centuries. This oral tradition is twice holy, firstly because it is intimately linked to Islam, to which the people were converted in the 7th century, and secondly because it is the noblest of the arts. In the United Arab Emirates, it takes on many forms and themes. The oldest is certainly Nabati, which dates back at least to the 14th century, as confirmed by the first mention of it by the erudite Arab historiographer Ibn Khaloun in his great work al-Muqaddima (1377), although some see its origins as even older, as its metrical style is so reminiscent of pre-Islamic poets. This is the poetry of the Bedouins, who use dialect rather than formal Arabic. In their simple, direct language, and with their astonishing memory, they extol the love of the clan and respect for the code of honor, recall chivalrous exploits and spread their age-old wisdom. If they speak the language of the desert, Ahmed Ibn Majid (1432-1500) writes the language of the sea. Sailor and cartographer, he constantly surveyed the Indian Ocean and ventured as far as the China Sea, bringing back marvellous treatises from his expeditions, most of them written in verse, in which he taught the phases of the moon as well as the principles of navigation. Such was his reputation that, four centuries after his death, people liked to imagine him sailing alongside Vasco da Gama. While this is certainly not the case, the legend says enough about the importance accorded to the author of Kitab al-Fawâ'id fî usûl 'llm al-Bahr wa 'l-Qawâ'id.
Nabati is common to the entire Arabian Peninsula and has tended to decline over time, but in the United Arab Emirates it enjoyed an incredible renaissance in the early 20th century thanks to the popularity of poets such as Mubarak Al Oqaili (1880-1954), whose house can be visited in the Al Ras district of Dubai, the trio born in the village of Al-Heera in Sherjah, where a literary circle continues their work to this day, or Usha bint Khalifa, who was born in 1920 in the oasis of Al-Ain, on the eastern border of Abu Dhabi. Less eagerly awaited than the traditional prizes, which are nonetheless numerous, the reality TV-style shows in which young poets compete against each other, decided by public vote, have been so successful that they confirm that Nabati has not said its last word. Nabati is not only declaimed, but also sung, as it forms part of the corpus of the traditional Al Wana show, in which the performer may or may not be accompanied by the rabâb, a Bedouin string instrument. Singing is also featured in Al Shila, where the poems are by turns descriptive, eulogistic or imbued with wisdom.
Finally, two other genres have been inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list to ensure their safeguarding, although they are still honored at special events: Al Azi and Al Taghrooda. The former is a celebration of victories won on the battlefield, staged in a deliberately warlike manner, with the poet holding a sword substitute in his hand and trading in responsories with a chorus. The second, on the other hand, is dedicated to love and harmony within the tribe. Its primary vocation is to preserve social ties and harmony, and it is sometimes used to settle disputes. A remarkable 20-year effort to collect poetry has resulted in the creation of a valuable database (poetry.dctabudhabi.ae).
Encourage reading and writing
Another interesting project is Kalima, launched in 2007 to support the translation of international works into Arabic. Several hundred titles are now available, from the classic Tolstoy to the very contemporary Peter Handke, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature. This opening up to the outside world has two aims: firstly, to make reading a more common pastime than it is today, and secondly, to compensate for the relative absence of local production. Indeed, it was only in 2015 that Rashid Abdullah Al Nuaimi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was honored by Sheikh Abdullah as the first author of an Emirati novel for Shahenda.
We could also mention Mohammad Al Murr, who excels in the art of the short story, and Hamdan Al Maktoum, who publishes poetry. In French translation, the choice is even more limited, but the curious reader can turn to Tout le monde n'a pas la chance de connaître une fin heureuse by Mohamed Khamis available since 2017 from Editions Erick Bonnier. This novelist, born in the Emirates, settled in Dubai after a few years in the United States. In the style of a tale, in an approachable style, he recounts the daily life of a large family from the Kingdom of Eden who are looking to move away from the slums. Little by little, their lives descend into unimaginable violence... Les meilleures intentions du monde (éditions Intervalles, 2011), written by an author who is not a native of the region, but who knows it intimately, also offers an interesting approach, as it paints, through fiction, a striking portrait of a country that has radically changed its face in fifty years.
Indeed, if writers are still rare, this can certainly be explained by the fact that the Federation is still very young, having only been founded in 1971 by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, one of whose priorities was to accelerate literacy by creating schools for all. His goal continues to this day, in particular through support for children's literature, a sector that is really beginning to flourish. The new generation is bound to be won over by the 5,250 m² library entirely dedicated to them, which Abu Dhabi announced would be created in 2018. They will be no less taken by the works that are flourishing, often by women. Maitha Al-Khayat, for example, took the plunge in 2008 when she realized that she couldn't find any books on Emirati culture for her eldest child, aged 6. A late vocation, but a dazzling one, as she has since penned over 170 texts, in both Arabic and English! In 2016, Maryam Saqer Al Qasimi published The Curious Adam, which was followed by short stories including the award-winning Where did the letters disappear? Finally, Hessa Al Muhairi won the Shiekh Zayed Book Award in the children's category for La Dinorafe, published in four languages (Arabic, Italian, English and French) by Italian publisher Marco y Marcos. This renewed passion for the written word and books is perfectly embodied in the design-led House of Wisdom, which was built in Sharjah by the talented architectural firm Foster+Partners. This place, which lends itself to serenity, discovery and study, but does not neglect new technologies, opened its doors in March 2021.
