In the framework of the programs devoted to Arabic poetry at Confederation House, we open a window to the unique voice of contemporary Palestinian Arab poets in Israel. Through their poetry we shall learn of the complex poetic and cultural fabric of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, the nature of Arab culture and its manner of relating to a variety of unusual questions. We shall deal with the individual opposite the collective, the attitude toward women, the body, the soul, God and more. In the two first encounters poets will read from each other’s work revealing their hidden poetic worlds.
Editors: Dr. Basilius Bowardi and Dr. Rim Ghanaim
A poetess reads a poetess
The first encounter will be a discussion between two of the important poetesses in the world of Arabic poetry: Nidaa Khoury and Sheikha Haliwa. Each will read from the other’s work, tracing their characters, each in her own way. Through the varied texts we shall learn about the poetic process of each, of the present and absent in their works, and how they are viewed in a society in which the masculine voice is dominant, in poetry and elsewhere.
Moderator: Dr. Basilius Bowardi
Photos:
Sheikha Haliwa. Photo: Bar Gordon
Nidaa Khoury. Photo: Iris Nesher