UAE all set to launch its own reality TV show

Al Bayt programme aimed at instilling the themes of Nabati poetry Al Bayt programme is one of key projects undertaken by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre aimed at instilling the themes of Nabati poetry. The UAE is all set to launch its own reality TV show. Steering clear of reality TV drama, the Al Bayt Nabati TV programme will shed light on the values and traditions of the UAE's forefathers and present them to the new generation.
Coinciding with the anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as Crown Prince of Dubai, the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre unveiled the region's first of its kind cultural and media initiatives.
Focusing on Nabati poetry, Al Bayt programme is one of key projects undertaken by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre aimed at instilling the themes of Nabati poetry, a style of poetry popular in the Gulf region for singing songs of fights, heroines, myths and celebrations, which has hugely enriched the region's history and culture. In an attempt to attract the younger generation, the programme will be presented via the Twitter platform, ensuring that a larger segment of people will compete with the shortest number of words but with eloquent meanings.
Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre also gave approval to establish Al Oula radio, which will broadcast at FM 107.4 MH. The radio station is aimed at upholding and spreading national heritage through objective and valuable programmes, crafting the community's heritage.
"Al Bayt will be a weekly programme tailor-made to attract the poetic talents of the young GCC people in the most modern manner as Twitter is the only way to compete, ensuring the winner is nominated by their style and eloquence rather than the number of voters,” said Abdulla Hamdan bin Dalmouk, CEO of Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre at a press conference organised on Saturday.
The programme jury includes some of the elite Nabati poets from the GCC. They are: Naif Al Rashidi (Kuwait), editor-in-chief of the local literature Al Mukhtalif Magazine; Mudgham Bu Sheiba (Saudi Arabia); Zayed bin Cruz (Qatar); and Mohammed Al Murr Bilabd Al Muhairy (UAE). "At the beginning of each series of Al Bayt programme, one part of the poetic line will be unveiled but with a hidden meaning, following which the participant can tweet the other part of the line that compliments the meaning.”
All tweets are then assessed before passing them on to the jury, which will decide the best ones for 40 minutes with intervals every 10 minutes to review tweets. Once nominations are opted, the presenter and jury will move to the stage where each member of the jury picks two best participations, amounting to eight in total. At this stage, the poet who has been able to present the most correct option will be the winner. The winner will be granted Dh100,000 and will qualify to the last series.
At each programme, a singer will be hosted to recite a poetry. The last part of the series, following the poetry competition, will be a dedicated to an "image competition” where an image is presented and audience have to aspire a poetic line to be sent to the programme via tweets afterwards. Those lines are assessed for one full week by the quality and rhyme committees as well as the jury members who will pick 100 lines to be presented at the beginning of next series. The members will then vote 10 lines of poetry out of which the winner will be announced with the best image competition.
Majid Abdul Rahman, Communications Director at the Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai, said: "The launch of Al Bayt programme and Al Oula aimed to preserve and widespread the UAE's unique heritage through generations comes at a very important time especially with the current unprecedented level of challenges characterised by the cultural openness and huge technological development in telecommunications.”
Source: Khaleej Times