Concerns over Rabie Bin Yaqout’s failing health have been allayed after Noura Al Kaabi, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, called in on the family of the prominent Emirati poet to check on him.
“A little while ago, I spoke to the son of the esteemed poet Rabie Bin Yaqout, to check on the health of our poet. We can assure everyone of the poet’s health. We hope that God preserves his health and wellness,” Al Kaabi wrote on Twitter on Monday, June 15, putting an end to the rumours circulating about.
Bin Yaqout, who is often dubbed as the “fruit of Emirati poetry”, was admitted to Khalifa Specialist Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah in February due to an undisclosed illness. At the time, Al Kaabi visited the illustrious poet at the hospital, writing on Twitter that he was a poet of “a unique poetic and literary experience.”
Who is Rabie Bin Yaqout Al Nuaimi?
The 92-year-old poet, who was born in Ajman in 1928, is one of the most famous Nabati poets in the UAE.
He began writing his poems when he was 20 years old. Most of his work takes on topics within Emirati society with wit and humour. His poems also tackle a number of Arab issues, such as the occupation of Palestine and Lebanese Civil War.
Bin Yaqout travelled to Kuwait in the late 1940s, joining an oil company and working in a garage belonging to the Kuwaiti government before returning back to Ajman a few years before the UAE was founded in 1971.
After returning to the emirates, Bin Yaqout began working in the theatre of the late Emirati actor Sultan Al Shamsi, who was known as Sultan the Poet. Bin Yaqout participated in a number of theatrical projects with Al Shamsi, usually taking on comedic roles.
He has been a regular at the Ajman Folkloric Arts Society, and even served as its chair for some time.
Bin Yaqout has also been a regular participant on Dubai TV's poetry programme Majlis of the Poets, which he joined soon after returning from Kuwait.
