Al-Quds - Participants in the "Al-Quds Forum for Letters and Creativity", sponsored by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, recommended strengthening the cultural and literary presence in the city and providing wider space for young Palestinian writers and creators, so as to enhance cultural dynamism in the city.
At the opening of the Forum's activities, organised the day before yesterday in Al-Quds by the Al-Yasmin Association for the Support and Empowerment of Al-Quds Women, writers, men and women of letters, academics and those interested in cultural and literary affairs stressed the need to make informed use of the possibilities now offered by digital technologies and artificial intelligence in order to preserve the Palestinian creative presence and consolidate the human experience of writers and creators.
On this occasion, the Director in charge of managing the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, Mr. Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui, stated that the Agency's support for artistic projects and investment in cultural industries "is not a luxury, but a strategic choice to protect the foundations of the distinctive Palestinian identity and preserve the civilisational identity of the city", as a centre of letters, arts and knowledge.
Mr. Cherkaoui commended the body of work accumulated by Palestinian literature in all its genres, which remains "a distinctive hallmark" that has carried Palestine, with its history, geography, prominent figures, arts and the traditions and customs of its people, to the world stage, through the imagination of the inspiring lives of great writers who have left their mark on the memory of generations in the Arab world and across the globe.
He affirmed that the interest of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, under the instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in the sector of culture, arts and letters, through support for active cultural centres and associations in Al-Quds, stems from the institution's belief that this sector is a lever for development and an important gateway for spreading the values of rights, unity, freedom, justice and peace.
For her part, the President of the Al-Yasmin Association for the Support and Empowerment of Al-Quds Women, Ms. Sanaa Atari, affirmed that the organisation of the Forum is part of a vision that seeks to create a meeting space between writers and intellectuals, and between different generations and experiences.
She explained that the Forum aims to open the way to the new questions raised by the rapid transformations taking place in the cultural sector, which calls for bringing together established literary experiences and new voices.
Ms. Atari praised the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency's sponsorship of the Forum, noting that Al-Quds "is not merely a place that is written about, but a place that leaves its mark on writing and on the conscience".
The Forum provided a space for dialogue on literature, writing and creativity in light of contemporary transformations, bringing together established literary and academic experiences and young voices, through a keynote address by Palestinian writer Aref Husseini, panel discussions, literary and poetic contributions and musical interludes, as well as a book corner.
In this context, the first cultural session, entitled "Literature in Times of Transformation", addressed issues of contemporary writing, the changing relationship between the writer and the new reader, and the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on the future of literary creativity, with the participation of professors and creators Sanaa Atari, Khaled Ghaith and Ali Abu Sneineh. The second cultural session, entitled "From Experience to Text", dealt with the experiences that lead to writing and the transformation of these personal experiences into creative texts, with the participation of Wafa Dari, Hashem Al-Sayed, Abeer Abu Eid, Hala Al-Razem and Atta Amira.
In the segment "Poetic Creations... The City in the Mirrors of Poetry", poets Moutaz Al-Qutb, Naim Jweiles and Walid Abu Teir presented poetry readings celebrating the presence of Al-Quds in the poetic text.
