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Biskra opens international festival of Arabic poetry with participants from 12 countries

11 November 2026 · Algeria Now

Biskra opens international festival of Arabic poetry with participants from 12 countries — Photo : dzevent.com (adresse collée)

The oasis city of Biskra, gateway to the Algerian Sahara, opened an international cultural festival devoted to Arabic poetry on Tuesday afternoon, bringing together participants from 12 Arab countries.

The opening took place in the main auditorium of the Chebbah El-Mekki Regional Theatre, the city's principal performing arts venue. The gathering continues Algeria's tradition of hosting Arab literary events that place the spoken word at the centre of public life.

Poetry holds a particular place in Algerian history. Moufdi Zakaria wrote the words of the national anthem, Kassaman, in 1956 while held in a colonial prison during the War of Independence, and generations of Algerian poets in Arabic, Tamazight and French have since made verse a vehicle of memory and resistance.

The same bond links Algeria to the wider Arab world. The Palestinian Declaration of Independence, whose text is attributed to the poet Mahmoud Darwish, was proclaimed in Algiers on 15 November 1988, an anniversary Algeria recalls each year as part of its steady support for the Palestinian people's right to statehood.

That heritage explains why a festival of this kind matters beyond the stage. For Algerian audiences, Arabic poetry is not only an art form but also a shared language across borders, one that lets a country committed to Palestinian self-determination and to Arab solidarity speak to its neighbours through culture as well as diplomacy.

Biskra, known for its palm groves and its role as a crossroads between the northern Tell and the desert, offers a fitting setting. Holding such events in the interior and the south also allows audiences far from the capital to take part in the national cultural calendar, which has been busy in recent weeks with film festivals, book fairs, concerts and exhibitions.

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