A gesture of loyalty to the career of a poet… and the presence of the heroes of “Ghad of War”
The Jeddah Book Fair (western Saudi Arabia) continued its daily activities through cultural, literary and artistic forums, various workshops and poetry evenings, in a way that keeps pace with the interest of all age groups of visitors to the exhibition from inside and outside Saudi Arabia.
The cultural program of the exhibition witnessed a number of activities, including a session honoring the career of the poet Karim Al-Iraqi, and a dialogue symposium organized by the Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority on the sidelines of the exhibition, attended by the stars of the “Action” and adventure game series “God of War”.
Speakers in the dialogue symposium at the Roshan Cultural Theater review the career of the poet Karim Al-Iraqi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An evening of loyalty
The Jeddah Book Fair restored the poetic work of the late Karim al-Iraqi, who died last July, in a session on the beauty of the word and the depth of meaning of the Iraqi poet, in which three poets participated: Abdul Razzaq al-Rubaie, Hazem Jaber, and Yahya al-Alaq.
The poet Abdul Razzaq Al-Rubaie praised the literature that the Iraqi produced for children, which included poetry collections, novels, stories, and songs, stressing that the Iraqi poet was close to the child and was able, in his language, to create daily vocabulary as an idea by writing for the child. He also excelled in poetry, and won the UNESCO award for it, noting. Until the poet Karim Al-Iraqi, despite his illness at the end of his life, did not stop literary and poetic production, and continued to hold the pen until he passed away.
Part of the audience at the dialogue seminars held on the sidelines of the Jeddah Book Fair (Asharq Al-Awsat)
In turn, the poet Yahya Al-Alaq described Karim Al-Iraqi’s distinct style, noting that he (the Iraqi) wrote vertical poetry and plays. He added: “He started writing at an early age, and he was suffering from poverty, as he worked in the evenings in a restaurant, and he also wrote poetry for lovers, and the artist Saadoun Jaber sang for him, and his words were composed by Baligh Hamdi, and he wrote the white singular, and studied psychology, He was a drawing teacher.”
For his part, the poet Hazem Jaber said: “Karim Al-Iraqi is an Arab icon. He has written in all literary genres since his beginning in the sixties. He also collaborated with the artist Kazem Al-Saher, and succeeded resoundingly in writing children’s poems and short stories.”
Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalidi speaking at a recent book lecture entitled “The Departure of the Greats” (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Self development
In a lecture entitled “The Departure of the Greats,” Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalidi presented a number of questionnaires dedicated to self-development and exploiting the opportunities available in every person’s life, where he began by talking about the greatness of human creation, and how the angels prostrated to him, moving the talk towards the importance of applying the SWOT analysis in the lives of individuals, A summary of the topics of this analysis: opportunity, strengths, weaknesses, risks and how to manage them, and a resource on the success story of the Greek philosopher Socrates as one of the most successful greats in history, who applied the rules of analysis in their lives.
Heroes of the game “God of War”
In front of fans of the game “God of War”, the real actors spoke about the circumstances they went through while impersonating the game’s heroes, and the impact of the game’s characters on their reality in life.
Actor and voice actor Christopher Judge spoke about his relationship with his children at home, where he did not find enough time to spend with them, and he often clashed with his family, noting that the course of his life changed after he played the role of the character “Karatos”, represented by the good man defending the truth. This was because he was influenced by the character he played, and how well he read the text and understood its sublime content.
Actress Danielle Bisutti during the dialogue seminar held on the sidelines of the book fair (Asharq Al-Awsat)
In turn, actress Danielle Bisutti explained that she received an offer from the company implementing the game, as the scenario attracted her to agree to embody the character of “Feria,” who lost her child through a mistake made by “Karatos” to save her, indicating that the game’s characters broadcast messages of tolerance at the end of its stages.
For his part, the embodiment of the character “Aterius”, Sunny Soljic, who is the son of “Karatos”, indicated that he is not completely satisfied with his performance in the game. Because he felt that the character was not represented correctly in its first version, he attributed the reason for this to his young age at the time, and his dislike of the game, explaining that he currently has a good relationship with the game’s heroes.
Actor and voice actor Christopher Judge during the panel discussion (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The silent book
The “Making the Silent Book” workshop discussed the idea of the silent book, its purpose, and the extent of its difference from other books, both paper and electronic.
Children’s book illustrator Intilaaq Muhammad explained that the silent book is that wordless book that relies on drawing only, as it is the only way to communicate the idea, pointing out that the silent book is suitable for everyone, and has proven to be very useful for those who suffer from learning difficulties in particular.
An audience member listens intently to one of the educational lectures held on the sidelines of the book fair (Middle East)
Muhammad said, “Not every painter is good at making a silent book, as it depends on the extent of this painter’s talent and abilities. This type of book is subject to varying understanding, according to the understanding of those who read it. It also stimulates broad imagination and is suitable for all age stages.” She added: “Preparing a silent book requires focusing on structuring the idea and giving a large space to the illustrator, especially since the quality of such books is appropriate for a place that embraces individuals with different languages, such as shelters, where it creates harmony among them and a sense of each other.”
Muhammad stressed that “the silent book does not need translation, but rather moves everywhere, presenting its idea to everyone simply, knowing that it cannot be scaled.”
Bibi Abdel Mohsen and Talal Sam during their participation in a dialogue symposium (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sofa Podcast
Bibi Abdel Mohsen and Talal Sam reviewed their experience in “Sofa Podcast” through a dialogue seminar on the sidelines of the book fair, discussing the most important issues and situations they faced while preparing and presenting the program.
The two symposium guests discussed, at the beginning, the story of their program “Sofa Podcast,” in addition to the issues and topics they address in their own way. Abdel Mohsen said: “So far we have reached the 100th episode, amid beautiful follow-up and an audience that pushes us to give more, and we were feeling… “They are very satisfied with the simplicity and ease of what we present in the podcast, and this is certainly the secret of reaching an audience and wide interaction, as it is an audience that aspires to a spontaneous and direct style.”
In turn, Talal Sam explained that the topics chosen touch on public affairs and ordinary concerns, adding that “the podcast is diverse in its theses, and maintains spontaneity in presentation, smoothness of style, and closeness to listeners, and the sofa, which represents the name and design of the program, has been launched to continue.”
The two symposium guests exchanged discussions with the attendees in an atmosphere that was not devoid of spontaneity and ease, which received wide interaction from the attendees.
It is noteworthy that the Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority enabled the public to enjoy a rich cultural program under the slogan “Ports of Culture” with the participation of more than 1,000 publishing houses distributed over 400 pavilions, while the exhibition continues to receive visitors until Saturday, amid a cultural and literary atmosphere that attracts a large number of visitors and those interested.
