The Bahraini poet received the award, in its 17th edition, which consisted, in addition to its financial value, of a symbolic shield of the Argan tree and a certificate of appreciation, from the Executive Director of the CDG Foundation, Mohamed El Kimakh, the President of the House of Poetry in Morocco, Mourad Kadiri, and the President of the award's jury, Abdelhamid Ben Al-Farouk, during a ceremony attended by personalities from the world of culture, art, and politics.
The Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, confirmed in a speech published in a booklet distributed on the occasion, that the Argana International Poetry Prize "provides a good opportunity for poets of the world to meet on the land of the Kingdom, which consolidates its cultural position and enhances its presence as a country open to cultural expertise and poetic experiences that champion humanity at the moment it searches for meaning for its existence through the gateway of culture and arts."
Mr. Bensaid added that the career of the poet Qassim Haddad was characterized by a continuous and renewed search for poetry and championing it, noting that "this fraternal and poetic kinship adds a new dimension to the political, economic, cultural, and historical relations that bring together the two brotherly peoples, Moroccan and Bahraini."
For his part, the President of the House of Poetry in Morocco, Mourad Kadiri, highlighted that the House of Poetry is proud "that the name of the Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad is among the records of this award alongside a number of poets of the world, who shared with him the values of loyalty to writing and responding to its calls," noting that the Argana Prize continues its path "in listening sensitively to poetry at the moment of its arrival from the forests of wonder, and championing the human commonality."
For his part, the Executive Director of the CDG Foundation said that this cultural moment aims to honour Moroccan, Arab, and international poetic experiences that champion beauty and wonder and create the human joy that poetry and poets achieve and which is nurtured by lovers, supporters, and those interested in this literary genre.
In turn, the Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad confirmed, in a speech on the occasion, that poetry represents "his only and last freedom," expressing his gratitude to the jury "which placed its trust in the new Arab poetic experience that I claim to be connected to."
In addition to Abdelhamid Ben Al-Farouk, the award's jury in its 17th edition included the poet Wafaa Lamrani, the Egyptian writer and journalist Sayed Mahmoud, the poet Najib Khadari, the poet Mounir Sarhani, as well as the poet Hassan Najmi, the Secretary-General of the Argana International Poetry Prize.
It is noteworthy that Qassim Haddad (1948) is a contemporary poet whose works have been translated into many foreign languages, and he contributed in 1969 to the founding of the Family of Writers and Authors in Bahrain. He also served as editor-in-chief of the magazine "Kalimat", which was published in 1987.
The Argana International Poetry Prize, which started in 2002, is considered a prize for poetic friendship, presented by Moroccans to a poet who is distinguished by an experience in the field of human poetry and defends the values of difference, freedom, and peace.
