In Dubai, Poetry Creates and Connects Communities

Iman Tahir of Gulf News traces the ways that millennials in the United Arab Emirates are turning to poetry. Tahir's inquiry begins at a "poetry evening" in Dubai's Design District. "The crowd was quite energetic and enthusiastic," Tahir writes. "I was curious and spoke to a few attendees." Picking up there: 

...Nihal from the audience was a regular to the event, and she described it as a space for people to come together. She said: “[the event] brings communities of artists together. It’s really nice, it provides a space for people to express themselves.” She likes attending to meet friends, to listen to performances and new poetry.

Yahya, aged 29, who was attending the event for the first time agreed. He said: “It was very good, and well organised. It’s an event that is gathering people together, and it feels like home.”

He appreciated how talented the poets were, and how their work was bringing people from diverse backgrounds together.

Ahmed Jihad, who was also performing, described that he has been to 6 different events, and has been performing since 2009. Poetry for Ahmed is a way to express his feelings, and to share his experiences. Brought up in Dubai, Ahmed shares his experiences in spoken word poetry, and shared a poem on his experience in Sudan.

“I love the diversity, the multicultural [environment].” He appreciated that the poets share their different experiences, and with different takes that keeps one open minded...

Read on at Gulf News.