Young poets gather in Hillah as organisers say nobody funds culture

BABIL — Dozens of young poets from across Iraq gathered in Hillah for the third Ishtar Gate Festival, with organisers and guests complaining that provincial and local governments give almost nothing to cultural work.

The two-day festival, run by the Babil branch of the Iraqi Writers Union with support from the national union, was devoted to the prose poem, with readings and critical discussion.

The prime minister’s cultural adviser, Arif al-Saadi, put the blame on the provinces. “This is our primary role in empowerment. Our criticism is directed at governors and provincial councils. Cultural activities are not the responsibility of the central government alone,” he told 964media. “You rarely find support from governors for writers’ unions and artists’ syndicates, and all Iraqi cities need real support from their governors.”

The Babil union’s head said the gap runs further. “We work with limited support from the national union, and we receive no support from local or central governments,” said Anmar Mardan. “Despite our limited resources, we always seek to be a different union and reach as far as possible.”

Poet and critic Ali Hassan al-Fawaz said governments had for years had no cultural programmes with budgets comparable to those for security or the economy. “Culture, for decision-makers, is a marginal issue,” he said. “In my view, this requires a cultural struggle and the creation of public opinion. The cultural portfolio should be on the decision-maker’s table to build cultural development and cultural security as part of building the new state.”

Jabbar al-Kawaz, a poet on the union’s executive office, said the festival gave young poets in Babil room to develop. “The prose poem is the true expression that breaks away from the old boundaries and rituals that constrained Arabic poetry with foundations that do not suit the modern era,” he said. “What the young people read seeks beauty and surprise to build a new reality with a new vision. We must remain in modernity, look to the future and not rely on the past.”