Sharjah: Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, officially inaugurated the activities of the sixth edition of the Sharjah Desert Theatre Festival. The festival is organised by the Department of Culture and it runs from 9th to 13th December, in the Al Kihaif.
Upon arrival at the venue of the event, Sheikh Al Qasimi was received by Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, Sheikh Saud bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Digital Office, Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, Mr. Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture, Mr. Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Airport Authority, Mr. Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of the Protocol and Hospitality Department, Dr. Khaled Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City and a number of officials and a group of artists.
The Ruler of Sharjah watched the opening performance of the festival, the Emirati play “Salloum Al Arab”, written by Sultan Al Neyadi and directed by Mr. Mohammed Al Ameri, and presented by the Sharjah National Theatre Group, with the participation of a number of the most prominent theatre artists in the country.
This play embodies the Emirati Bedouin environment with its customs, traditions, values and heritage, through three stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, because of the wisdom and expressions it carries within it, about generosity, courage and altruism that sing the noble meanings of the people of this good land.
The performance featured a variety of performance arts, such as narration, poetry, show, and the involvement of horses and camels in the scenes, in addition to the use of a number of components that helped create a unique theatrical setting that effectively communicated the idea and goals of the text to the audience.
The festival also features five theatrical performances from the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and Mauritania along with the participation of dozens of theatrical performers from the majority of Arab nations.
The festival combines cutting-edge theatrical solutions, performance art, and traditional Bedouin storytelling. The festival site, which aims to highlight and improve the aesthetics of the Arab environment, has been set up in a large area of the Al Kihaif so that it stimulates, in general, a desert village. Participating performances are presented and watched by the audience in a space surrounded by dunes, valleys, and tents.
The event hosts daily critical sessions that explore the subjects and methods used in the participating works while shedding light on their technical aspects along with the theatrical performances. A number of activities are included in the festival’s evening schedule to foster knowledge and vision sharing, as well as to connect participants and visitors and build engagement.
The Sharjah Desert Theatre Festival also hosts competitions and displays that honour Bedouin cultures, as well as an academic symposium titled “Desert Theatre and the Authentication of Arab Spectacle.” Additionally, the festival offers daily performances and dinner parties that showcase the variety of the national popular history of the nations taking part in this edition.