Damascus-SANA
In appreciation of their creative giving in the fields of literature, studies and arts, the Ministry of Culture honored the winners of the State Appreciation Award for the year 2021, as it went in the field of literature for the writer Muhammad Abu Maatouq, in the field of arts for the plastic artist Nashat Al-Zoubi, and in the field of criticism, studies and translation by Dr. Eid Marei.
In a speech during the honoring ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Dr. Lubana Mushawah, said, "Since 2012, the ministry has been honoring creators, thinkers and artists in appreciation of their giving, considering honoring the right of the creator and recognition of a lifetime's giving and an incentive to persevere in more giving." The breadth of culture, the depth of knowledge, the nobility of morals, wisdom, patience and impartiality.
In a statement to SANA, the writer Abu Maatouq said that civilized societies honor their creators, and that our country, which fought and is still a fierce war, does not forget to pay attention to creativity and honor its owners.
This is evidence that we are able, through this complex awareness of our battle with the enemy, to make our victory by honoring creativity and its companions to encourage them to persevere in work.
The writer Muhammad Abu Maatouq, born in Aleppo in 1950, holds a BA in Arabic. He has published plays, novels, short story collections, and television scenarios for dramatic works. His novel, The Bottle and the Genie, was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2009, and his works won several literary prizes.
In a similar statement, the plastic artist Al-Zoubi confirmed that we are in the midst of the process of rebuilding the country, and this award is a step to connect hope with work, pointing out that honoring the creator is an incentive for him to give and creativity, and that every work he has is admired and appreciated by his country.
The plastic artist, Nashat al-Zoubi, was born in the city of Hama in 1939. He studied photography in Cairo, then continued his studies in Damascus, graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, and established in 1956 an art circle in Hama that gathered young talents in the city and launched them through a large number of art exhibitions, production camps and seminars. He also worked as a lecturer at the University of Damascus and participated in the establishment of the Syndicate of Fine Arts and was elected Vice-Captain and participated in many exhibitions inside and outside the country. His works are acquired by the Ministry of Culture, the National Museum in Damascus, the People’s Assembly, the Sharjah International Museums and the Punjab in India, and in private collections in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, India, France and America.
Dr. Marei expressed his happiness with this award, especially that it came from his country despite the circumstances in which it is living, as the wounded Syria is still able to give, pointing out that this strength derives from a civilization dating back thousands of years, so Syria was the heart of the ancient world with its civilizational strength that is still continuing until now. Despite all the conspiracies against it.
Dr. Eid Marei, born in Quneitra 1954, is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Damascus, specializing in the history and languages of the ancient East. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Würzburg in Germany. He is a member of the Arab History Committee at the University of Damascus and an expert in the Encyclopedia of Syrian Archeology. Muhammad Kurd Ali in the humanities from the Academy of the Arabic Language.
The winner of the award will receive a sum of one million Syrian pounds and a commemorative medal with her innocence.
It is noteworthy that the State Appreciation Award was established by Legislative Decree No. 11 of 2012 in the field of literature and arts for creators, thinkers and artists in appreciation of their creative, intellectual and artistic giving, as it was won over ten years by thirty Syrian intellectual, artistic and literary figures.
Shatha Hammoud
