The Directorate of Culture in Raqqa hosted the first Folk Poetry Festival, which lasted three days, as a prominent cultural occasion to celebrate local identity and document the unique cultural heritage of the Euphrates region, with the participation of 26 poets from the city and its countryside. Folk poetry is a form of expression of the social and cultural memory in the region, reflecting details of daily life, customs, and traditions, and transmitting the features of the local environment, dialect, and history from one generation to another.
A poetic legacy documenting Euphrates heritage
The festival paid special tribute to the journey of the late poet and researcher Mahmoud Al-Dhakhirah (1947–2024), known as the "Dean of Raqqa Poets," who dedicated his life to documenting Euphrates heritage and composing its authentic forms such as "Al-Nayil" and "Al-Mawliya," leaving a creative legacy exceeding a thousand literary works and documentary publications, including "Ahl Al-Raqqa" and "Burj Aliya." The events concluded with honoring the relatives of the late poet Mahmoud Al-Dhakhirah, the participating poets, and the members of the media committee and supporters of the festival in appreciation of their contributions.
Importance of the festival in reviving folk heritage
Hassan Al-Hasan, Deputy Director of Culture in Raqqa, emphasized that the festival was of great importance in highlighting folk poetry, attracting its creators, and holding lectures and dialogues related to it, noting the trend towards organizing it annually alongside activities that contribute to reviving intangible heritage and supporting young creators. For his part, poet Mohammed Al-Hasan saw that holding the festival represents an opportunity to document, preserve, and transmit cultural heritage to future generations, expressing his hope for organizing broader festivals at the local and international levels that allow for cultural exchange.
Poet Omar Al-Sarran paused to discuss the public interaction that accompanied the festival, pointing out the level of participating poems and the topics they covered, which were related to the heritage of the governorate and its cultural identity. The festival activities began on October 26, reaffirming the role of Euphrates poetry in safeguarding cultural memory and enhancing local identity, and honoring symbols of folk literature who creatively and socially documented the history of the region.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)