Google celebrates Emirati poet Ousha Al-Suwaidi

CAIRO – 28 November 2022: Through a doodle, google celebrated the Emirati poet Ousha Al-Suwaidi.

Suwaidi was born in Abu Dhabi on January 1, 1920. She lived most of her life in the Emirate of Al-Ain, UAE, and lived 15 years of her life in Qatar, before returning back to Al-Ain. Later, Suwaidi moved to Dubai in the 1980s.

Suwaidi started writing poetry when she was a child at the age of 12. She composed 100 poems within about a month, as she was affected by the house in which she grew up, where men of knowledge and sheikhs did not leave her father’s council. By the age of 15, she had gained national recognition for her powerful poems.

Suwaidi’s success in a male-dominated genre opened the door for the next generation of female poets. She is considered one of the pioneers of Nabati poetry in the UAE and the Arab region.

The landscapes of the Arabian Gulf and the desert have inspired many of her poems, which deal with themes such as love, wisdom, patriotism, and nostalgia.Written in the Nabataean language, the poems describe her personal experiences in the UAE, as well as its past and rich culture.

Dubbed as the “Arab Girl”, Suwaidi attended the councils of senior poets.

Today, Suwaidi is remembered for her profound work that paved the way for women poets in the Arab world. On this day in 2011, her contributions to literature were recognized at a prestigious event, and the poetic community created an annual award for Emirati female poets named after her. She was also honored by a special section of the Women's Museum in Dubai.

Suwaidi retired from poetry in the late 1990s and became specialized in praising the Prophet. She passed away in July 2018 in Dubai at the age of 98.