Prince of Poets
Prince of Poets is a
Thousands of aspiring poets from all over the Arab world submit their poems, and several dozen are chosen to compete. In the competition, contestants read their poems, and are also asked to improvise poems on various subjects. A jury of established poets and critics judges and offers feedback on the entries, while the studio audience and viewers at home can also vote for their preferred poets.[3][5] Despite the show's title, the contestants can be male or female.[6] Prince of Poets Xtra, the programme's interview segment, airs after each episode.[5]
Prince of Poets is similar to another Emirati poetry competition, Million's Poet; the latter promotes Nabati (Bedouin) poetry, while the former promotes classical Arabic poetry and is an attempt to revive it in modern society.[5][7] Like Million's Poet, it has been compared to American Idol.[6]
Notable contestants
Egyptian poet
Palestinian poet Tamim al-Barghouti competed in the first season. Although he finished the competition in fifth place, he became very popular among Palestinians, with media outlets of rival political parties Fatah and Hamas both urging followers to vote for him by text message. He was also popular in the broader Arab world, with excerpts from his poem reportedly being made into ringtones.[6][3]
Other winners have been Syrian Hassan Baiti (third season),[4] Mauritanian Sidi Mohamed Ould Bamba (second season),[10] and Emirati Abdul Kareem Maatouk (first season).[11]
Other individuals
The programme's presenters have included Dhafer L'Abidine, in the first series,[12] and Eyad Nassar, in the second series.[5] Xtra is presented by Raja el Shehi.[5]
Musicians and established poets who have performed on the programme include Iman Bakri,
References
- ^ a b al Huneidi, Samar (26 January 2011). "Prince of Poets competitor causes stir". The National.
- ^ a b Dajani, Haneen (25 February 2011). "'Prince of Poets' title goes to Yemeni scholar". The National.
- ^ a b c Pearson, Bryan (14 September 2007). "Abu Dhabi TV crowns 'Prince of Poets'". Variety.
- ^ a b Hassan, Hassan (15 August 2009). "Hassan Baiti takes 'Prince of Poets' title". The National.
- ^ a b c d e f Kennedy, Philippa (9 August 2008). "The prince and princess of hosts". The National.
- ^ a b c Lundberg, John (14 June 2009). "A High-Cultured "American Idol" Thrills The Arab World". HuffPost.
- ^ Dayekh, Ribal; Hilal, Hissa (4 February 2010). "Hissa Hilal: Allowing terrorism to win will destroy our societies". Al-Shorfa.
- ^ "And the 'Prince of Poets' is..." Egyptian Gazette. 24 February 2011.
- ^ Dajani, Haneen (11 February 2011). "Prince of Poets contestant back after Egypt protest". The National.
- ^ "Verse matters". The National. 11 June 2009.
- ^ Maatouk, Abdul Kareem (6 June 2009). "Arabic poetry now embraces the humanist sentiment". The National.
- ^ Durgahee, Ayesha (21 September 2011). "Tunisian star says artists finally free after uprising". CNN.
External links
Media related to Prince of Poets at Wikimedia Commons