'Kuwait Heritage Society' Highlights 'Echoes of Heritage in Poetry and Al-Zuhairi'

The Kuwait Heritage Association launched its cultural season with a dialogue session titled “Echoes of Heritage in Poetry and Al-Zuhairi,” presented by poet Nader Al-Obeid and moderated by heritage and Arabic linguistics researcher Hanan Al-Jassar. The event was attended by several cultural and artistic figures, including Dr. Mohammed Al-Jassar, Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, musician Ghannam Al-Diqan, M. Sabah Al-Rais, and a number of enthusiasts of Kuwaiti folk heritage. The session focused on Al-Zuhairi, a poetic form deserving of greater attention.

During the session, Al-Obeid explained that the choice of topic stemmed from its significance as part of Kuwaiti heritage. He noted that while poems have previously received media coverage and television programs, Al-Zuhairi has not enjoyed the same level of attention. This disparity prompted the decision to dedicate the session to examining, introducing, and commemorating this art form. Al-Obeid pointed out that Al-Zuhairi is linked in its origins to the poet Mohammed bin Laboun, who played a prominent role in establishing and spreading this poetic style. It was subsequently passed down from generation to generation by poets including Abdullah Al-Faraj, Fahd Burasli, Fahd Al-Khashram, and Hamoud Nasser Al-Badr, and later by figures such as Abdul Rahman Al-Duwaihi and Abdul Rahman Al-Najjar, for whom he prayed for recovery and well-being.

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He further clarified that the lack of media focus on Al-Zuhairi is partly due to the public’s unclear understanding of the art form. He explained that Al-Zuhairi is a poetic structure consisting of seven lines. The first three lines end with the same word, though its meaning differs in each line. This is followed by three other lines ending with a different word, which itself carries three distinct meanings. The seventh line concludes with the same word that ended the first three lines, granting Al-Zuhairi its unique artistic and linguistic character.

Al-Obeid highlighted that similar poetic forms exist in certain Arab environments, such as Al-Abudiya in Iraq, which differs in structure regarding the number of lines, and Al-Darmi, which relies on a single line. He emphasized that each form has its own distinctiveness and artistic structure. He added that Al-Zuhairi flourished particularly in the Gulf region, especially in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, and that Mohammed bin Laboun played a pivotal role in its dissemination. Noting that bin Laboun died in 1831 during a plague year, Al-Obeid stressed that reviving his biography and role in the emergence of Al-Zuhairi is an important endeavor.

Al-Obeid affirmed that the significance of the session extended beyond introducing Al-Zuhairi as a poetic form; it also involved tracing its origins, documenting its evolution, and highlighting the poets who championed it over nearly two centuries. He considered it the responsibility of heritage-focused institutions to highlight these folk arts, protect them from oblivion, and present them to future generations. During the session, Al-Obeid recited several Al-Zuhairi pieces composed by Kuwaiti poets, followed by his own recitations of Al-Zuhairi and other poems.

Al-Obeid praised the efforts undertaken by the Kuwait Heritage Association, affirming its belief that folk heritage is not merely a memory of the past, but a living component of cultural identity.