The activities of the national symposium celebrating the late Yemeni poet Abdullah Al-Baradouni began today, Tuesday 5 May 2026, in the city of Aden in the Republic of Yemen. The symposium is organized in cooperation between the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, under the slogan: "In the Presence of the Seer". This comes on the occasion of ALECSO's selection of the late Yemeni poet Abdullah Al-Baradouni among the poets of the eleventh edition of the Arab Day of Poetry, and in honour of the icons of Arab culture. The Organization was represented at this symposium by Dr. Al-Mustafa Hammadi, expert at the Culture Department of the Organization.

At the opening of his address, the Organization's representative pointed to the importance of this symposium, which is being organized in the context of implementing the recommendation of the Conference of Ministers Responsible for Cultural Affairs in the Arab world, which recommended in all its sessions:

- Inviting the Arab states to continue celebrating the Arab Day of Poetry and the honoured poets throughout the year,

- Inviting the "House of Poetry" institutions in the Arab states to celebrate the Arab Day of Poetry.

He also praised the role of the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Culture and Science in organizing this symposium, its excellent coordination, and its ongoing cooperation with the activities of the Culture Department of the Organization, and gave a detailed presentation on the outcomes of the Arab Day of Poetry programme in its various previous editions since its launch in 2015.

In her address, Her Excellency the Secretary-General of the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Dr. Hafiza Saleh Nasser Al-Sheikh, commended ALECSO's efforts in nurturing creativity and creators, and in advancing Arab cultural integration and strengthening the Arab linguistic and cultural identity, through celebrating the icons of literature and culture in the Arab world and the literary heritage they have created and immortalized, which deserves celebration and study, foremost among them the late Yemeni poet Abdullah Al-Baradouni.

The symposium's programme includes academic sessions conducted by a constellation of specialized researchers and university professors in criticism and in linguistic and literary studies. During these sessions, eight research papers will be presented addressing different aspects of the heritage and creativity of the poet Al-Baradouni, over the course of the two days of 5 and 6 May 2026.