"Dar Al-Aman" Series Focuses on Malhun Poets

A new publishing initiative is shining a spotlight on "Malhun poetry," a distinctive Moroccan oral and poetic tradition, aiming to restore its cultural significance. This effort seeks to elevate what academics have called the "Diwan of Moroccans" by bringing renewed attention to its rich history and artistic merit.

The inaugural volume in this series, penned by researcher Abdelilah Jennan, delves into the intricate connection between the creation of Malhun poetry and its vocal performance. Titled "The Sheikh of Nature and the Sheikh of the Lyre: Between the Mastery of Poetry and the Mastery of Chanting," the book analyzes the symbiosis of poetic expression and auditory delivery within the Malhun framework.

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The reflections in this new book aim to understand the fusion of poetry and chanting within the cultural and artistic structure of Malhun poetry. It also seeks to draw attention to the creative energies and unique artistic potentials that this Moroccan poetry possesses.

Jennan's work explores the fusion of poetry and chanting, highlighting the deep cultural and artistic integration within Malhun. He emphasizes the vibrant creative energies and unique artistic potentials inherent in this Moroccan verse, which he believes showcase the diversity of Moroccan genius. The author hopes this exploration will encourage further study and appreciation of Malhun, ultimately contributing to a more complete understanding of Moroccan literature.

The initiative's ambition extends to formally recognizing the vast legacy of Malhun, aiming to document over 500 poets and more than 5,000 poems. This comprehensive approach seeks to fill gaps in Moroccan literary history and preserve a vital aspect of its cultural identity. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Alduwayhi, a specialist in ancient Nabati poetry, noted the parallels between Malhun's preservation through "sheikhs" (poets and performers) and the role of narrators in preserving Arabic poetry, suggesting a shared heritage in safeguarding oral traditions against neglect by official literary historians.

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This duality, and the existential link between poetic creation and vocal performance, is not exclusive to the art of Malhun in the brotherly country of Morocco, but it is the same phenomenon that took it upon itself to preserve our heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, chief among them 'Nabati poetry'.