Soul Platform, the region’s most anticipated culture, youth and contemporary lifestyle festival, Soul DXB Festival, unveiled its new edition as the inaugural event for the 29th edition at TECOM Group’s Dubai Design District between 8 and 10 December. Dubai Shopping Festival. The site is an official partner of the Hip-Hop 50 initiative in the Arab world in collaboration with Mass Appeal Production Company, and this edition of the festival promises to deliver unforgettable experiences. Hip-hop, fashion, visual arts and sports sectors.

The festival will also include interactive conversation sessions with a panel of important and influential figures in this genre of music. The Soul site also announced the participation of another group of artists to ensure an unprecedented experience celebrating hip-hop culture among the younger generation.

Newly announced artists include Grammy-nominated young British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks. The line-up also includes seven-piece band Kokoroko from London, who will perform at the festival’s lounge, Rhodes Restaurant, on Sunday 10 December.

This year, Soul DXB Festival, in collaboration with Gulf Photo Plus, is hosting a photography exhibition called “Occupied Pleasures” by artist Tania Habjoka. Through a group of three-dimensional paintings, the exhibition accurately portrays humanity’s ability to cope with difficult situations in Palestine.

Soul DXB and Dubai Design District have teamed up once again to bring fashion lovers the Spotlight by D3 exhibition. The exhibition offers an opportunity to explore cross-cultural original collections by emerging designers from the UAE, South Africa, Palestine, United Kingdom, Finland, Spain, Lebanon and other countries.

Rudy’s Diner, the Soul DXB Festival’s main lounge, will host live performances on opening night, available during the day for ages 21 and older. This year, the talk show, considered one of the most important events of the festival, also offers conversations with eminent personalities from the fields of fashion, music, publishing and design.

Poet Ahmed Balhamar (from source)

Friday 1 December 2023 / 18:58

Most of the poems have single-word titles, including Nostalgia, Dust, My Loss, Separation, My Friends, Division, Escape, Leak, Point, Measure, Exchange, Chaos, Rain, Burn, Shadow, Our Story, Limits, Days. , etc. But will not the reader find in the pages of the anthology a text entitled “The Night’s Vessel,” as other poets are accustomed?

Most of the poet’s texts are sensitive and emotional, reflecting his outlook on life, and they carry many meanings of the night, its sadness, vocabulary and atmosphere. The poet wrote on the cover of the book covered by the darkness of a dark night, so we read there:
I wrote it in the middle of the night and on the streets of memories
It’s like I’m there every step of the way
And in every word
I draw the way to my heart
So I walked with the poem in hand.
Here we see what writing represents to its poet, as poetry accompanies him on his journey as a faithful friend, leaning on his arm and strengthening him, being his compass on the paths of life.

Ahmed Umar Balhamar, who holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and works in its field, says: “I started my journey by writing 10 years ago, and then wrote an occasional newspaper article titled “Broadcast” in Al-Anba, a Kuwaiti newspaper. After that, I wrote in the Egyptian newspaper “Rose Al-Youssef” in the same year. Around a period of time, I collected the articles and published them as a book titled “Getting to Know You” by Al-Raitiyya Publishing House. and distribution house in Saudi Arabia. The articles were varied but most of them social and discussed scenes that attracted me from the reality of life and its daily occurrences.
About the development of his literary talent, Balhamar confirmed to 24: “The process of human self-development begins and does not end, it continues and does not stop. From childhood, the passion for reading and the hunger for knowledge came together. With me, it is with me to this day.
He said about the most important writers who influenced him: “I read many authors and authors, and the names never attracted me, but rather, I was attracted by the strength of the written words, their sweetness and the degree of their difference. I’m not influenced by one author over another, all the books I’ve read have influenced me in one way or another, there’s no doubt about that.” I’ve influenced the minds of others who read me. Yes, the process is intimate. It’s possible for contagion to spread without us noticing.”
Ahmed Balhamar writes in classical and colloquial, and in response to the question of who is closest to his heart, how the genre of poetry determines the moment of inspiration, he added: “All literary genres are dear and close to me. My literary taste, but colloquial dialect is closer to the listeners because It is their spoken language, but as for inspiration, a strange creature meets a person without permission or acquaintance, surprises us at strange times and places. To be frank, I do not choose the form and symbolism of poetry when I write. Words are the master of will, they impose their presence and form on the white, They decide when to start and when to end.
Commenting on the tendency of many poets to write novels in the current era, and whether Balhamer would remain loyal to the poetic field, or consider writing fiction, he says, “Up to this moment I had no idea. Writing a work of fiction, but I don’t know if I will knock on this door in the future or continue. “Clinging to my old place and loyal only to poetry.”
Regarding the source of inspiration for his poems or essays, he said: “Ideas are born in the conscience of the writer, through his interaction with people and society, his daily activities with them and observation of what is happening in the world around him. “

It is noteworthy that Ahmed Balhamar participated in many poetry evenings in the Emirates Writers and Authors Association and other cultural organizations, he regularly attends cultural events and events. In colloquialism, Napati Publishing House and some of his works were translated into the language.
In the collection of poems “Ana al-Layl” titled “Lost” we read:
you
Your shadow has not left you since the sunrise
Until the full moon and starry evening come
How lucky you are
My sun rose and set
And my shadow is still missing.

International director Ridley Scott’s American historical film “Napoleon”, which cost around $200 million, was a notable success in terms of audience and revenue, but it also provoked widespread criticism on historical and artistic levels. Indeed, particularly troop-launching scenes Napoleon Bonaparte shot at the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza during his campaign in 1798. The film, which is currently showing in American cinemas, presents the character of Napoleon Bonaparte in a new perspective. , she appears in him in two ways, one through his relationship with the army and his country France, and the other through his love for “Josephine”.

“There is no evidence that the French campaign led by Bonaparte fired his fire at the nose of the Sphinx,” said Salima Akram, professor at the American University in Cairo, and continued, “He certainly did not fire at the pyramids. We know that he did not hold the Sphinx and the pyramids in high esteem and took advantage of their presence. “

Egyptian critic Tarek El-Shenawy said, “There have been criticisms of historical errors, including the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt, but Ridley Scott presents a visual perspective, not a historical one, and said the phrase is dynamic. Rich material for dialogue and controversy, the director’s freedom to add or remove facts.” dealing with.” His visual vision has been documented in history.

For his part, Scott responded to these criticisms by saying, “I don’t know whether Napoleon Bonaparte did it or not, but to me it was a quick way of saying that this is how Egypt was controlled at the time.”

Historian Michael Bowers said: “There are events that Scott has to move quickly, and events that diverge from reality with the aim of making it easier for the audience to follow them, and to clearly understand the filming of the pyramids. In this context, nothing of the sort actually happened during the French campaign.” 1798 in Egypt, but it’s interesting to have these kinds of scenes in the film.”

When discussing doing so with director Scott, he said, “When you said we’d shoot in front of the pyramids, you laughed, didn’t you?” said. “So it will be.”