Crowned ‘Prince’ Iyad Al Hakami: ‘I don’t think I can live without reading and writing poetry’

The Saudi winner of The Prince of Poets – a man of science – talks about the beauty of classical Arabic, the language which inspires him.

Iyad Al Hakami, winner of The Prince of Poets competition. Courtesy Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi.

“I believe a person is born a poet, and it is then up to him to cultivate that talent and hone it so that the poems inside him can be written,” says Iyad Al Hakami.

Al Hakami last week won the seventh season of television talent contest The Prince of Poets (Ameer Al Shu'ara), the final of which was broadcast live from Abu Dhabi's Al Raha Theatre.

Yet he had always thought of himself as a man of science. He has a bachelor’s degree in computers and information technology, a master’s in instructional technology and taught computer science at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. He wants to pursue a PhD in this field.

“I didn’t write my first poem until about eight years ago, during my first year of university studies,” says the 29-year-old Saudi Arabian.

“I have always pursued the sciences during my studies, but I love language and the beauty of classical Arabic, and I am always reading literature and poetry and immersing myself in the literary world.”

Never imagining poetry would be his future, Al Hakami believes his first steps as a poet were triggered by a sadness he previously tried to repress.

“One of my best friends was killed in a car accident about 10 years ago, and in the days and months after his death, I was in denial,” says Al Hakami.

“It never sank in, I never even cried. But during my first year of university, faced with the anniversary of my dear friend’s passing, it hit me hard and I found myself writing my first poem, in honour of my departed friend.”

He showed the poem to his uncle, a poet, and received much encouragement.

“He told me that poetry is in my future, and that I should never stop writing,” says Al Hakami.

He took this advice to heart, and before long, poetry became a serious and passionate hobby.

“To me, there is no peak when it comes to poetry, no end,” he says. “There is no imaginary high point to aspire to and then say I can stop. I can’t ever stop. I don’t think I can live without reading and writing poetry.”

Born and raised in Jazan, a port city on the shores of the Red Sea in the south-west corner of Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, Al Hakami was surrounded by lovers of the classical Arabic. “The people of my city are masters of Fusha Arabic – they take pride in being experts in the classical language,” he says.

Writing poetry in classical Arabic, rather than the Nabati poetry form, was an automatic choice for him. “It is the language I am comfortable with,” he says.

Al Hakami’s poetry is more thought-provoking and philosophical than emotional, and yet he writes about feelings with eloquence.

It is almost as if he has taken it upon himself to become a voice for the oppressed and for those who cannot express their emotions, those affected by war and injustice.

However his own experiences also inspire him. Some of his first attempts at poetry were dedicated to his mother, written when he was away from her for the first time, studying for his master’s degree in the United States.

“I wrote a collection of 100 poems for my mother, simply because I had to,” he says. “Like any poet, I do not expect a poem can just appear. A poet thinks, imagines, wonders, ponders. A poem can be written in hours, or can require months to truly be complete. It is a process that examines human emotion; a process I truly enjoy.”

Al Hakami is eager to return home to Jazan, hoping to invest his Dh1million prize and dedicate a significant portion to the education of his two-year-old daughter, whom he “misses very, very much”.

He will never forget his experience in The Prince of Poets.

“It was a moving, humbling experience, and a humane one,” he says. “I met 150 truly amazing poets and developed incredible, lasting relationships with each one of the final 20.

“We used to read our poems to one another and seek each other’s advice before even presenting our poems to the judging panel – that’s how much we respected one another’s opinions. I learnt from each of them.”