Qatar National Library (QNL), in collaboration with the German Embassy Doha and the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, will hold a three-day ‘Poetry Slam’ workshop from 18 – 20 March, leading to a final performance on 21 March, as part of Qatar Germany 2017 Year of Culture.
The workshop aims to support students and poetry enthusiasts in Qatar, aged 18 – 22 years, who are interested in literature, poetry and performance. With the guidance of two renowned German poetry slammers and workshop instructors, Julian Heun and Dominique Macri, participants will develop their own texts reflecting their culture and interests.
Participants will be given the opportunity to work on their ideas with the instructors, get feedback from their co-participants and practice performance and reading techniques together. Participants will then prepare a presentation for a public poetry slam performance, which will conclude the workshop.
Abeer Al Kuwari, Director of Research and Learning at QNL is very excited about the workshop:
‘Poetry Slam’ is new and growing in Qatar, and through this workshop, we aim to support the young talents interested to learn more about this art form. One of QNL’s mandates is to cultivate creativity and we hope to give our young poets the opportunity to express themselves through this platform.’
Dr Gabriele Landwehr, General Manager of the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region said that cultural exchange through literature is normally bound to a common language, but with poetry, and especially ‘poetry slam’, where the performance aspect is added, it becomes more accessible to people of different backgrounds.
Maya Röder, who is based in Doha for the Goethe-Institut as Project Manager for Qatar-Germany 2017 Year of Culture said she witnessed a ‘poetry slam’ at the Student Centre in Education City when she first moved to Qatar, and she was impressed by the way poets switched from one language to another. Language, she said, is not a barrier and this is exactly what they want to achieve with the project – a cultural dialogue that crosses all boundaries.
Those interested to take part in the QNL Poetry Slam may send an e-mail with some information about themselves, their motivation for entering, as well as some samples of their work – in English or Arabic – by March 12, to Sebastian Wilke at [email protected]. They may also call 4454 7156 for inquiries. Selected participants will be contacted by email.
Please check their qnl.qa for more information about the QNL Poetry Slam.