Oral tradition and poetry
One should not think that the book is so outdated compared to the futuristic buildings that so often symbolize the United Arab Emirates that it has become obsolete. On the contrary, it is at the heart of current concerns, but suffers from the fact that it has never quite found its place in Emirati society, for historical as well as sociological reasons, if one can really distinguish one from the other. Indeed, it is worth remembering that, although human presence has been attested since the staggering age of 125,000 BC, Abu Dhabi was not really born until the 18th century, when the Bedouin tribe of Bani Yas, originally from Saudi Arabia, settled in the Liwa oasis, which was soon abandoned, due to repeated attacks by the Wahhabis, in favor of the creation of the city of Abu Dhabi. However, this tribe - but it would be more accurate to use the plural because the Bani Yas are divided into several branches, and as many professions, the most famous being that of pearl seekers - relies on oral tradition much more than on transmission by books. This can be explained by the nomadic nature of these peoples, but also by the social role played by this practice which, in the Arabian Peninsula, is called Nabati poetry, a name that may be derived from "Nabataean", the kingdom that developed long before our era and had Petra in Jordan as its nerve center
In any case, some discern in its metrics that of the pre-Islamic poets, and its existence is confirmed, in any case, in the sixteenth century by the first mention of it by the erudite Arab historiographer Ibn Khalun in his great work al-Muqaddima (1377). The Nabati poetry privileged the dialect over the formal Arabic, wanting to be simple and direct, accessible to all. Endowed with an incredible memory that allowed them to render several tens of thousands of verses, the Bedouins conveyed tales and legends, enigmas and words of wisdom, freezing chivalrous exploits and the history of clans, advocating love and respect for the code of honor, instituting peace... and sometimes starting wars. Such a large panel and such a great culture that probably explains the durability of this art which, if it has suffered a certain disinterest in the middle of the twentieth century, enjoys today an undisputed revival as already ensures the immense fame still enjoyed by Usha bint Khalifa, poetess born in 1920 in Al-Ain and precociously disappeared in July 2018. Inspired by both classical authors and her contemporaries, she won many awards, including the prestigious Abu Dhabi Prize, which was presented to her by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates Federation in 1971. Nowadays, Nabati's poetry has clearly returned to the forefront of the television scene, as since 2007 the program Amir Ach-Shou'ara (Prince of Poets), recorded in Abu Dhabi, gathers no less than 20 million viewers for each episode! An incredible success that rivals even the audience of the popular soccer matches, and has spawned other TV talent shows of this type, such as "The Poet of the Million", whose title suggests the reward that the winner chosen by the viewers receives..
Disdain and encouragement for the book
Paradoxically, this passion for the oral tradition hinders the emergence of a written literature, which many people aspire to, especially since another parameter comes into play: the competition of foreign languages with the mother tongue, Arabic. Indeed, on the one hand, the population is extremely heterogeneous - it is even said that native Emiratis constitute only a very small percentage of it, from 19% to 11% according to sources - and on the other hand, the natives tend to offer their children an education resolutely turned towards the international, thus privileging the use of English or French. These elements, combined with the omnipresence of the digital world, undoubtedly justify the fact that reading, which is a solitary activity, is by far not the favorite pastime of Abu Dhabi's inhabitants, that bookstores are not very common and that Arabic-language publishing is an economic activity that has been reduced to a trickle. Yet, in its usual excessiveness, the Emirate is not skimping on the means to change the situation in the decades to come.
This ambition is not so recent, as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair was already celebrating its 31st edition in 2022, with no less than 1,130 exhibitors and publishers from more than 80 countries around the world. In addition to its usual dazzling line-up, this literary fair also programs numerous activities aimed at young people, the target audience to be convinced, for example with the organization of writing contests inviting the youngest to put themselves in the shoes of an author or with the initiative of a prize rewarding school librarians praised for their commitment. The most famous of these - and not only because it is extremely well endowed - is certainly the one bearing the name of Sheikh Zayed, which has been honoring Arabic-speaking writers in nine separate categories since 2006.
The ambitious Kalima project of the National Library of Abu Dhabi is also about discovering and transmitting, and this time it is about translating into Arabic historical, scientific and literary books published in other languages. The stated objective is to translate and publish about 100 titles per year. Aware, however, that a national culture cannot rely solely on works from elsewhere, the funding of writing residencies is added to the overall scheme, along with the setting up of professional training courses intended, in the long term, to structure a real publishing industry. Lastly, we should mention the huge libraries - including the Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi, designed to house up to 200,000 volumes, mainly in French and English, and the children's library at the historic Qasar Al Hosn site, which covers 5,250 sq. m. - as well as book fairs such as Big Bad Wolf Books, to conclude that books are definitely everywhere in Abu Dhabi.
