The Poetic Heart, 2018 had participation from 21 notable adult poets who presented their poetry on themes of peace, harmony, knowledge and other Interesting, creative and relatable subjects. Six accomplished poets – Shaikha Al Mutairi, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Dr. Ali Jaffer Al-Allaq, Salma (Rajathi Shamsudeen), Prof. Manfred Malzahn and Jasism Al Sihayih shared their poems in Arabic and English. Please find their profiles and compositions here.

Osama Al Safi, an award winning Arab vocalist sung two songs, one of which was based on the poem ‘The Green Roots’ penned by Dr. Shihab Ghanem. Jason Carter, enchanted the audience with his music on the harp guitar, an instrument originally from the baroque period. Kamal Mussalam, an outstanding Oud and Guitar player player kept the audience spellbound. Juki Valipakka, a Finnish singer and musician also performed at the event.

As always, a major draw at the event was the melodious performance by the SGI Gulf chorus Naseem. Their rendition of ‘Morigasaki Beach’ a poem about friendship written in 1948 by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, won a huge round of applause. What made the 7th edition of The Poetic Heart even more memorable was the enthusiastic performance of students from Winchester School and other budding and young musicians. Musicians at the Event. 

The auditorium was filled with the lively chatter of around 306 young and hopeful students representing different schools. 18 budding young student poets from 17 schools in the UAE presented their poems. More than 130 poetry submissions from different schools across the region were received. Students from a total of 31 schools across the United Arab Emirates shared the stage with other poets and musicians at The Poetic Heart, 2018.  Click here to read their profiles and compositions.