''Prince of Poets'' is a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

competition on the Emirati television network

Abu Dhabi TV Abu Dhabi TV ( ar, قناة أبوظبي) is an Emirates-based television channel that was originally launched in 1969. It broadcasts content from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is owned by Abu Dhabi Media. Abu Dhabi T ...

. It was created in April 2007 by the

Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (known colloquially as the ADACH) was a statutory body in the United Arab Emirates that administered cultural heritage in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.dirham The dirham, dirhem or dirhm ( ar, درهم) is a silver unit of currency historically and currently used by several Arab and Arab influenced states. The term has also been used as a related unit of mass. Unit of mass The dirham was a un ...

s and a symbolic cloak and ring. Reflecting the pre-eminence of poetry in the Arab world, the programme's ratings overtook those of football and of other reality television programmes, with a studio audience of thousands and a television audience of millions. Its title comes from the epithet of Arabic-language epic poet

Ahmed Shawqi Ahmed Shawqi (also written Chawki; ar, أحمد شوقي, , ; ; 1868–1932), nicknamed the Prince of Poets ( ar, أمير الشعراء ''Amīr al-Shu‘arā’''), was an Arabic poet laureate, to the Arabic literary tradition. Life Raised ...

. Thousands of aspiring poets from all over the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

submit their poems, and several dozen are chosen to compete. In the competition, contestants read their poems, and are also asked to improvise poems on various subjects. A jury of established poets and critics judges and offers feedback on the entries, while the studio audience and viewers at home can also vote for their preferred poets. Despite the show's title, the contestants can be male or female. ''Prince of Poets Xtra'', the programme's interview segment, airs after each episode. ''Prince of Poets'' is similar to another Emirati poetry competition, ''

Million's Poet ''Million's Poet'' ( ar, شاعر المليون) is a reality television show in the United Arab Emirates, which was first broadcast in December 2006. The show is a Nabati vernacular poetry competition in which the participants compose and rec ...

''; the latter promotes Nabati (Bedouin) poetry, while the former promotes classical Arabic poetry and is an attempt to revive it in modern society. Like ''Million's Poet'', it has been compared to ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''.

Notable contestants

Egyptian poet Hisham al Gakh was an audience favorite in the competition's fourth season after presenting a controversial poem, "The Visa," which criticized Arab leaders. He later missed an episode in order to participate in political protests in his home country, then wrote a poem about the revolution called "

Tahrir Square Tahrir Square ( ar, ميدان التحرير ', , English language, English: Liberation Square), also known as "Martyr Square", is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political dem ...

." Favored to win the competition after reaching the finals through an audience vote, he came in second after Yemeni poet Abdul Aziz al Zera'i. His final poem, "The Last Message," also dealt with the democratic revolution. Palestinian poet

Tamim al-Barghouti Tamim Al-Barghouti ( ar, تميم البرغوثي) is a Palestinian-Egyptian poet, columnist and political scientist. Nicknamed the "poet of Jerusalem" (), he is one of the most widely read poets in the Arab World. Life Tamim al-Barghouti was ...

competed in the first season. Although he finished the competition in fifth place, he became very popular among Palestinians, with media outlets of rival political parties

Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

and

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

both urging followers to vote for him by text message. He was also popular in the broader Arab world, with excerpts from his poem reportedly being made into ringtones. Other winners have been Syrian Hassan Baiti (third season), Mauritanian Sidi Mohamed Ould Bamba (second season), and Emirati Abdul Kareem Maatouk (first season).

Other individuals

The programme's presenters have included Dhafer L'Abidine, in the first series, and Eyad Nassar, in the second series. ''Xtra'' is presented by Raja el Shehi. Musicians and established poets who have performed on the programme include Iman Bakri,

Amal Maher Amal Maher ( ar, آمال ماهر; born 19 February 1985) is an Egyptian singer. She is heavily influenced by Umm Kulthum. She began singing as a child and was discovered by the general public at the age of fifteen by taking up the songs of Umm ...

, Majid Al Muhandis,

Naseer Shamma Naseer Shamma ( ar, نصير شمه) is an Iraqi musician and oud player. He was born in 1963 in Kut, a city on the Tigris River. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir. He re ...

, and

Walid Toufic Walid Toutanji ( ar, وليد توفيق; also known as Walid Toufic; born April 8, 1954), is a Lebanese singer and actor. Biography Walid Toufic, born Walid Toutounji, grew up with his Sunni family in Tripoli, Lebanon. He later relocated to we ...

References

External links

*{{Official, http://www.princeofpoets.com Emirati reality television series Arabic-language television shows Arabic poetry awards 2010s Emirati television series 2007 Emirati television series debuts Talent shows Abu Dhabi TV original programming