Yemeni artist Ziad Nasser al-Ansi, who won fourth place at the Dubai Cultural Innovation Awards, blends Yemeni architecture with local decoration and patterns. Above, al-Ansi’s painting that won the President’s Award in 2006.

Yemenis take home top awards at Dubai cultural competition

by Faisal Darem, Al-Shorfa, September 6, 2013

Yemeni Bassam Shamseddine was taken by surprise when his wife told him she had submitted his novel, “Laanat al-Waqif” (The Curse of the Stander), to the 2013 Dubai Cultural Innovation Awards without his knowledge.

A bigger surprise awaited him when his book placed fifth in the novel category, he told Al-Shorfa.

Shamseddine is one of three Yemenis who placed at the eighth edition of the awards.

Khaled Abdul Haleem al-Absi placed second in the short story category for his collection, “Wa Alam Adhaat Sihruha” (And the Pains Have Lost Their Magic), while Ziad Nasser al-Ansi placed fourth in the fine arts category.

The winners’ names were published in the September issue of the Dubai Cultural Magazine.

Awards were distributed across eight categories, including UAE cultural personality of the year, poetry, short story, novel, fine arts, dialogue with the West, theatre writing and documentary film.

“This is the first time I have taken part in a literary competition, and the award is a significant moral support for me to continue writing novels and stories,” Shamseddine said.

Al-Ansi’s entry was a painting of a Yemeni girl wearing traditional clothing called “Intimaa” (Belonging). The piece, composed in an abstract realism style, blends the beauty of Yemeni architecture with traditional Yemeni decoration and patterns.

“Winning the award motivates Yemeni innovators, some of whom have abandoned art and literature due to economic pressures and having to provide a living for their children,” he told Al-Shorfa.

“The Ministry of Culture will honour Yemeni innovators, particularly those who achieved outstanding recognition at the Dubai Cultural Awards,” Deputy Culture Minister Hoda Ablan told Al-Shorfa. “The ministry will celebrate their literary and cultural accomplishments.”

These awards “serve Arab culture and innovation” as they are dedicated to innovators under the age of 40, she said. “This opens the doors for recognition and dedication in the service of Arab culture.”

Yemen has a proliferation of innovators across a spectrum of fields, she said.

The successes of these three Yemeni artists “proves Yemeni innovators have capabilities and potential” and a bright future, she said.