Its my privilege to be able to support the Association For the Development of the Arabic Folk Poetry in Australia and the Arab World in presenting the ‘Charbel Baini Award’ on the occasion of its ‘Silver Jubilee’. Preserving a nation’s cultural heritage and traditions are critical for they assist in helping us to identify who we are. Traditional art forms, including folk poetry, serve as a reflection of who we are: an expression of our cultural uniqueness. At the same time they demonstrate human linkages and our commonality. All cultures have their own traditional art forms and ways of of handing down stories and teachings from the generations that have gone before. So while it is unique, it also serves as a common human bond that unites us all.
For this reason, the Charbel Baini Award is important. It works to highlight the beauty of Arabic Folk Poetry, thereby helping preserve it for future generations. Traditional forms of cultural expression, including poetry, are increasingly susceptible to changes brought by time, cultural assimilation and modernity. It is critical that we work together to ensure that cultural traditions are passed on to future generations by encouraging and protecting the practitioners, in this case poets. Both the Association and the Charbel Baini Award do this.
Charbel Baini himself has done much to preserve and develop Australian Lebanese culture, having written numerous poetry books that have been translated from Arabic into English and French, thereby opening up Folk Poetry to a wider readership. These offerings demonstrate both his love for both Australia and Lebanon. Through his work, he brings people closer together which, after all, is what art is all about.
I would like to thank the Association, Dr Bahia Abou-Hamad and Charbel Baini for this opportunity to express my support for this endeavor and wish all the `Award Recipients all the best in their future work.
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