Arab writers commemorate Ba-Kathir’s 100 anniversary

Hundred years after his birth International conference to mark the centenary of Great thinker Ali Ba Kather

The cultural milieu in Islamic and Arab world in the Egyptian capital Cairo has marked the centenary of the birth of the great Islamic and Arabic writer and thinker, the Yemeni Ali Ahmed Ba Kather, through an international conference that shed light on his experience as one of the pillars of nationalist thinkers, who has lit the global corners of human creativity and thinking by his creative, literal and poetic experience.

The conference which continued for 4 days from June 1-4 under the slogan “Ba Kather and his literal position” was organized by the General Arab Writers and Authors’ Association and the Literal Islamic league, with a wide participation from elite Arab literals, intellectuals and thinking personalities from Yemen, Egypt and the Arab and Islamic world.

The participants have reviewed during eight sessions about 60 researches in which intellectuals and academics, writers and critics from Arab and Islamic countries have dealt with the diverse experience and privacy of Ali Ahmed Ba Kather in the story, novel  drama and poetry, as well as his pioneering and  literal creativity.

On the opening session held for one day in Salahadin fortress in Cairo, and attended by Dr. Mohammed Abo Bakr al-Maflahi, the Culture Minister and his Egyptian counterpart Farouk Hosni besides other Arab ambassadors, think tanks, intellectuals, and writers.  Minister of information Hassan Ahmed al- Lawzi lauded the efforts that arranged the conference at a distinctive level in terms of participants, papers and researches, pointing out that the conference is a pride for the whole nation as it reflected loyalty towards the eternal intellectual, literal and creative symbols of our Arab nation.
Ba Kather used to be a nation embodied in a genius, creative self-made individual. He was a shining new history in the life of a person who is overflowing with new intellectual and cultural ingenuity. He occupied the seat of the pioneer of free Arab poem.  He is the founder of modern poetry and the modern Arab theater in the twentieth century, as well as  a literally novelist.  Though creative he was loyal  to the brim, al-Lawzi added.

Al-Lawzi turned attention that the Yemeni Ministries of Culture and Information have discussed mechanisms of celebrating this dear historical event and the decent dealing with its creative, native and nationalistic perspectives.

Next December will see the beginning of a number of cultural activities that are linked to this event, for republishing a number of his works, to re- produce his theatrical works and to broadcast his cinema and theatrical works in all media, the minister announced.
The minister said that there would be efforts to develop Ba Kather Establishment for Publication which the president had issued its founding decree last week, for developing what used to be called Ba Kather House which was established following the unification as an establishment which is linked to the Liberty and Independence Day on November 30

Dr. Mohammed Abo Bakr al- Maflahi lauded in his speech those who organized the centenary of this intellectual Arab and Islamic pillar, explaining that Ba Kather loved Egypt and chose it as a motherland where Egypt embraced him as a son and he had planted a lofty Hadrami palm on its Nile Banks.

The ministry of Culture within  celebrating Tarim as a cultural Islamic Capital for 2010 is intending to inaugurate Ba Kather’s house in Sayoun as  a museum carrying his name and containing all his audio visual literature and all that is related to his private life as well as publishing all his works.

 On the other hand, the Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni told Yemen Observer of the intense media injustice suffered by this great writer and his distancing from the spotlight. He told Yemen Observer of the importance of the defining value of the conference , saying that "Perhaps this celebration may provide more space for to celebrate this important literary pillar and remind with this writer through the Arab media that are present," adding that "the Ministry of Culture decided to print all of his works, literature, plays and spread them at the local and Arab level, and by doing so Ba Kather's strong presence will return and restore its place in the Arab cultural circles and among readers."

The General Secretary of the Arab Writers Association, chairman of the conference Mohammed Salamawi explained that the organization of the conference and the selection   of Ba Kather as the character  for this celebration goes back to Ba Kather's superior embodiment to the Arab Nationalistic thinking, in addition to  the distinctive place that he occupies in Arab and Islamic  arena. The conference also coincided with the first centenary of his birthday. Salamawi said: " Ba Kather by  his passing through all Arab countries as a resident and a visitors, represented the  spirit of Arabia. He was in search of his originality to be called an Arab writer, through his allegiance and  the pride of his  country , his nation and his faith to Arab civilization. "
In a special statement to Yemen Observer he said that since his passing away forty years ago Ba Kather was almost forgotten, however this conference is shedding light on his literal position and providing a reasonable area for him. There was a huge cultural rushing that has discovered not only Ba Kather’s literal significance, but also  his representation to the Arabic national consciousness that we are missing now.

The Islamic literal forum chairman, Dr. Abdul- Kados Abo Saleh praised Ba Kather's support to the Palestinian issue. "It was running in his blood, and he used to publish a short story about it every week, amounting to 50 short plays and five long ones. He has also imitated Shakespeare in his play Merchant of Venice by publishing his play the New Shylock in 1944, predicting the establishment of the Israeli state.

Saleh reviewed some of Ba Kather's plays, drama, poetry and creative works that tackled most of  the Arab world affairs, including the play of " Hamam in Ahqaaf country",  "A Lover from Hadramout, and from Saudi Arabia the " the Big Country- al-watan al-Kabir,". He wrote many plays about Egypt such as "Mismar Jiha,-" Jiha's Nail, and " An Empire for sale." He also wrote about Indonesia, his birthplace " the return of Paradise- Aodat al-Fidos."

The conference came as a restoration of Ba Kather's  literary prestige and to locate him  among the prominent senior writers such as Tawfiq al-Hakim in the theater and  a peer to  Najib Mahfouz in the novel. He is also a poet who occupied the position of the Arabs generation of poets who succeeded Ahmed Shawki, Hafiz Ibrahim and Khalil Mutran. Saleh     added,"  We have worked on the preparation of this conference, for more than a year, and we have received more than (60) researches from experienced critics , university professors and creative writers.
Mohammed Abo-Bakr Hamid, the conference reporter, spoke of Ba Kather who wished to die in Egypt and now it remembers him after 40 years, saying that he wrote a book about him that will be ready during the conference.

  Abdul-Monim Yunis secretary of the preparatory committee, Chairman of the Islamic Literal Society in Cairo ensured that Ba Kather was not only a playwright but he was also a storyteller  or a poet but he was all of the three. He has travelled from Yemen to Arabia and then to Egypt to be closer to the linguistic and cultural reawakening which he used to hear about it and he then became one of its pioneers.

 Chairman of the Arab writers in Syria, Hassan Joma’ ensured in the delegation’s speech the importance of the conference which celebrates one of the pioneer Arab writers, and a believer that  the Arab culture could overcome its crises. He said that he is the creater of the modern Arab poetry before Nazik al- Malika has published her “cholera” poem.

Dr. Saeed al- Jeriri, chairman of the Mukala writers’ Union spoke to Yemen Observer about the credibility and loyalty of this conference to  Ba Kather, saying that  “The conference itself and the invitation of the Arab Writers’ Association is an honor to this  great Arab writer, ( we saw at the conference, participation of different Arab countries, which try to introduce distinct comparative criticism that represent the starting point to restore awareness of Ba Kather’s works which were about to be forgotten.)

 Poet Farouk Shousha said that the conference is being fair to Ali Ahmad Ba Kather after  41 years of injustice. He said that injustice towards Ba Kather continued during his life and after his death. Shousha said: “this forum comes to reinstate this great pillar into memory and to those who will read for him beginning from today, so it is an opportunity to thank the Union and the Ministry of Culture in Egypt through the Supreme Council for Culture, which made Ba Kather to be published and printed.”

Shousha continued: “I knew Ba Kather in 1964, as I was busily  investigating into references of the role of Ba Kather. I saw Ba Kather intensively mentioned, and kept asking myself what    role  Ba Kather played in the renewal of poetry.  I found that his poems do not reflect renovated poetry until he himself turned my attention to  his only poetic play of “Akhenaten and Nefertiti,” stressing that the poetry he called for  was fit for poetic drama. The great poet Shousha said “I saw here the first real attempt to renew the Arab dramatic poetry. It is the poetry writing which overshadowed Ba Kather works as playwright and a novelist.”
At the end of the opening session, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, honored businessman Abdullah Bugshan by offering him a shield,  as a  supervisor of the project for changing Ba Kather house in Hadramout into a Museum. It will contain all his belongings. Another shield was offered to researcher, Dr. Mohammad Abo Bakr Hamid, who dedicated a lot of his years , age and time to collect the legacy of  Ba Kather. He also honored the Secretary of General Union of Arab writers and authors, Emir Jodat al-Sahar owner of the Press and the Library of Egypt, which published the works of Ali Ahmad Ba Kather, Nagib Mahfouz and Tawfiq al-Hakim.

Ba Kather corner was opened after the opening session. it was prepared in the building of the writers Union and contains a museum of his written unpublished documents along with the groups of Tawfiq al-Hakim and Nagib Mahfouz, Yahiya Hakki Abdurrahman al-Sharkawi, Yosef Idris,  Yosef al-Sobai’, and Saad Eddin Wahba. The conference will discuss 60 scientific papers by critics and creative Egyptians, Yemenis and Arabs, dealing with diverse aspects of literary creativity in Ba Kather in story, novel, drama and poetry, where he is the pioneer of the school of free verse.

The research papers and scientific studies are distributed into eight critical and research sessions. 4 papers will be at the first session.  Dr. Ahmed Darwish submitted a paper entitled (intersections of theatrical creativity and historical interpretation of the, a reading  in the play “Dar Ibn Luqman “ . A research of  Dr. Hamed Abo Ahmed is on (the adaptation of the foreign myth  for the  Islamic idea in Ba Kather Theatre). The third session is for Dr. Mohammed Hassan Abdullah’s paper of (the holy books inspiration in Ba Kather theatre). Mohamed Jibril’s participation is entitled (women in the works of Ali Ahmad Ba Kather).

The second session deals with (4 papers), Dr. Saad AboAl- Reda’s paper is about  (the features of the Islamic trend  in Ba Kather,) Dr. Ahmed al-Saadani (Islamic thought and Arab ideology in Ba Kather’s political theatrical  literature.)   Dr Abdul Hamid AL-Hisami (aesthetics of artistic construction in Ba Kather’s Short political plays), and Dr. Mustafa al-Dhaba’ (Ba Kather’s theater – a Study of Simologi.)

The third  and fourth sessions will feature eight other of the researches which are (Ba Kather’s theatre  between many documentary and  Otcherc drama, by Dr. Abu Hassan Salam, (heritage in Ba Kathie theatrical literature), by Dr. Ezat Moner, (the ancient Egyptian civilization in Ba Kather theater) by  Dr. Sophia Abbas (Omer’s great Islamic epic), Dr. Mahjob  Berrier Mohamed Nor, (the Jewish character in Ba Kather literature, a  deliberative analytical perspective by Dr. Idris Macbol, (  Ba Kather theater and the Libyan Jihad issues against the colonial power ), Dr. al-Tayeb Ali Al-Sharif (the Levant and Mesopotamia in Ba Kather, artistic semantic approaches ) by Dr. Omar Abdel-Aziz and  (early and late stages in the Ba Kather historical stories),by Dr. Abdul Hakim Mohammed Saleh Baqais.

The fifth session on the third day of the conference presented four researches including “Ali Ahmed Ba Kather in his historical novels” by Dr. Mansour al-Hazmi, “Islamic vision and its impact on the aesthetic composition of Ba Kather narratives by Dr. Mohammad Saleh al-Shanti, “the components of creativity in the novels of Ba Kather,” by Dr. Mohammed Jakib, and “   intellectual and artistic employment of secondary personalities in   Ba Kather historic novels,” by Dr. Mohammad Abo Milha.

  the sixth session will discuss 4 other researches or Hassanain, Ahmad Rashad, "Ba Kather and the pioneering in the Islamic conception of the historical novel -  "Wa Islamah" as model", Dr. Taha Hussein al- Hadrami will present (elements interaction  with the other in the novel "Sirat Shjua' " or Brave biography - the study of structure and meaning).  Dr. Yosef Nofal introduces (Egypt in the poetry, mind and thinking of Ba Kather) and Alumrani Hassan will present (Ali Ahmad Ba Kather, a diligent poet again)

T here will be  a seventh and eighth research sessions. Four sessions by Dr. Walid al-Kasab will cover the (Prosody  in Ba Kather Poetry ). Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Zabidi will tackle (Ali Ahmad Ba Kather, and pioneering free poetry.) (Critical consciousness and the limits of innovation in   Ba Kather), by Abdul-Muttalib Gabr. Dr. Bin Isa Bo Yozan presents ( appearance of Ba Kather - a semantic and artistic Study of songs, hymns and rhythm)  there are other  4   research studies by  Dr. AbdulKader Ba-Isa about (the aspects of   Ba Kather language in the poetry of the Yemeni phase of- a technical study ).

Dr. Abdullah Al- Maiqil speaks of (the Saud phase in Ba Kather poetry), Dr  Insaf Ali Bokhari introduces (the phenomena of love and grief in Ba Kather poetry) and Dr. Isa Elbe Abo Bakr introduces a study on (humanitarian issues in the poetry of Ba Kather, a technical study ).
The conference was concluded on the fourth day by  holding a closing meeting, chaired by Secretary-General of the General Union of Arab Writers during which the final statement and the recommendations were declared. It was followed by a joint press conference for both the Secretary-General of the General Union of Arab Writers and the Chairman of the League of Islamic Literature the Conference reporter and then it  was followed by an evening for poetry which included Selected Poems   of Ba Kather poetry.

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