Samira Joudi / Meknès – Morocco
In the heart of the Belgian capital, the European Center hosted a literary evening titled “The East and the West in a European Meeting in Brussels,” celebrating the experience of Qatari poet Samira Obeid.
The evening was organized jointly by the Brussels Center for Advanced Studies and the European Institute for Philosophical Studies, in partnership with the Arab-European Organization for Cultural Exchange, the Positions Association, and the Cultures and Communications Association, in addition to the Arab Cultural Center. These partnerships reflected the diversity of intellectual spaces that celebrate poetic work in Europe.
The evening opened with a welcome from the Executive Director of the Institute, Professor Naima Daoudi, who emphasized that poetry is the deepest language of human connection and that the European space continuously needs such bridges built by literature between the East and the West.
Then, Ms. Mokhtaria Benourine, President of the “Positions” Association, highlighted the importance of cross-border cultural initiatives in an era dominated by digital isolation and pointed out that culture is not an individual act, but a network of relationships that invigorates collective consciousness.
The third speech was delivered by Professor Issam Al-Badri, President of the Arab-European Organization for Cultural Exchange, who provided a comprehensive vision of the role played by Arab communities in enhancing the presence of Eastern culture within Europe. Al-Badri confirmed that poetry remains the art most capable of transcending political and geographical divides.
The speeches continued with Professor Hussein Qassem, representative of the Arab Cultural Center, who called for support for Arab literary production within Europe, so that it does not remain marginalized or confined to the audience of communities only, but reaches the European reader through diverse presence, translation, and joint projects.
With a unique presence, Dr. Al-Tayeb Walid Al-Arousi, residing in Paris, provided a human dimension to the poet’s journey from its beginnings and her early desire to transform pain into language, while recalling moments from her poetic career.
In the same context, researcher Professor Samira Bint Hashim Joudi from Meknès/Morocco provided an in-depth critical reading of the works of the honoree, focusing on the most important characteristics of her writing, which revolves around memory and approaching human pain, in addition to her crafting of dense poetic images that keep the recipient in a state of emotional alertness, opening their appetite to engage with the experience of the poet and storyteller simultaneously.
After poet Samira Obeid recited her poems in Arabic and French translated by Samira Joudi, accompanied by musical interludes from musician Farid Hassan on his oud. The meeting continued with a series of poetic readings, featuring Syrian poet Yassin Al-Moussa from Germany, Samira Hashim Joudi from Meknès/Morocco, Moroccan Abdel Aziz Nizam from Brussels, Algerian Abida Allouach, and poet Mohamed Belhaloumi.
The discussion then expanded with an open dialogue with poet Obeid, where she answered questions from the audience that touched on her personal experience and issues of women’s writing. The evening concluded with the poet signing her works, in intimate moments where attendees exchanged warm greetings during a tea party held in honor of the guests.