The Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory is at the forefront of cultural discussions during the Sharjah events, focusing on the protection and documentation of oral heritage through modern means to ensure its continuity for future generations. In its third edition, the conference poses urgent questions about how to transfer stories, proverbs, poetry, and folk narratives from live performance spaces to digital platforms, preserving their cognitive value and maintaining their presence in the Arab collective consciousness.
Sharjah 24:
The third session of the Heritage Conference, organized by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage under the slogan “Oral Traditions in a Changing World: From Live Performance to Digital Media,” continued with rich scientific sessions discussing the state of oral traditions in several Arab countries. It showcased specialized research experiences in documenting and preserving intangible cultural heritage, highlighting the role of digital media in safeguarding popular memory and passing it on to future generations, thereby enhancing the sustainability of Arab cultural heritage. The discussions also reflected a growing interest in how to employ technology without undermining the spirit or authenticity of oral storytelling.
Nabati Poetry and Preserving Emirati Heritage
The fifth session, chaired by researcher Mohammed Saeed Al-Balooshi from Qatar, featured three scientific papers addressing various Arab models in preserving oral heritage, opening the door for research readings that connect documentation with community memory.
Researcher Fatima Al-Mansouri presented the role of Nabati poetry in the United Arab Emirates as an oral record that documented the details of traditional life, particularly diving and hunting trips, along with the values, customs, preparations, and stages that begin with getting ready for the journey and end with returning from it. She emphasized that this poetic form has contributed to preserving an important aspect of national memory, highlighting the efforts of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in reviving this heritage, particularly through supporting falconry and launching initiatives to return falcons to their original habitats.
In this context, the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory emerged as a unifying theme for discussions linking oral storytelling with national identity, demonstrating the importance of transforming popular material into sources that can be preserved, studied, and passed down through time.
Yemen and Palestine: Experiences in Facing Challenges
Dr. Yahya Lutfi Al-Abbali discussed the state of intangible cultural heritage in Yemen, outlining the main challenges facing preservation efforts under current circumstances, while praising the role played by Yemeni tribes and families in protecting and maintaining popular heritage and passing it on to future generations despite these challenges.
The third paper was presented by Dr. Amani Al-Junaidi from Palestine, who was unable to present it in person, discussing the experience of documenting Palestinian oral stories and narratives. She emphasized the importance of preserving this heritage as part of national and cultural identity. These interventions intersected with the idea that the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory is not merely a title for an academic event, but a practical framework for rethinking preservation and documentation tools.
The presented papers revealed that preserving oral heritage in environments under social and political pressure requires flexible solutions that combine field efforts, digital documentation, and cooperation between researchers and cultural institutions.
Mythical Creatures and Oral Traditions in the Digital Age
In the sixth session, chaired by Mr. Ali Al-Abdan, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Musallam, the head of the institute and conference president, presented a research paper on mythical creatures in Emirati tales, examining the transition from oral storytelling to documentation, and showcasing the experience of documenting around 37 mythical creatures found in Emirati folklore.
Al-Musallam explained that the study relied on tracing the historical origins of these characters, returning to the environments where they were famous, and linking them to ancient Arabic sources. He indicated that several of these creatures have roots in Arabic literature. The book also employed a research methodology supported by illustrative drawings to revive the imagined image of these characters in popular memory, serving as a practical example of what digitization can offer in re-presenting heritage material in an engaging and accessible manner.
Extending this discussion, conference contributions confirmed that the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory from a scientific and cultural perspective, by monitoring the relationship between popular imagination and modern archiving, and what it can offer in terms of broader protection for inherited knowledge.
Diverse Arab Experiences in Documentation
Dr. Sayed Hamid Hariz reviewed Sudan’s civilizational contributions to shaping Arab oral traditions, discussing the transformations that Sudan has undergone which have impacted its cultural heritage. He noted that the paper addressed, in its first part, the history of Sudan and some age stages over previous centuries, while notably discussing recent years and the social impacts observed in some regions of Sudan.
Mr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Balooshi presented a reading of the state of oral traditions in Qatar amid social and technological transformations, while Dr. Saif Al-Badawi discussed the evolution of place names and their transition from oral circulation to documented geographical records. These interventions reveal that the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory in a broader context encompassing language, place, memory, and identity, not only traditional forms of folk narrative.
The papers also demonstrated that modern documentation can contribute to protecting the intricate details that may fade away with rapid social and technological transformations, especially in environments historically reliant on oral transmission.
Cultural Memory and Identity between Documentation and Protection
The seventh session was chaired by Ms. Aisha Al-Hassan, director of the Arab Heritage Center at the Heritage Institute, discussing several papers that addressed oral traditions as a fundamental pillar in preserving intangible cultural heritage.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Naqbi reviewed the relationship between oral traditions and intangible cultural heritage, while Ms. Noora Al-Kindi discussed the role of oral traditions as cultural memory that preserves community identity. Dr. Adi Walad Adab provided a reading of the Hassaniya proverbs in Mauritania and its surroundings as a reservoir of identity, while Ms. Mariam Al-Mazrouei highlighted the memory of water and the systems of aflaj as components of environmental and cultural heritage.
These contributions affirmed that the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory not only from a technical preservation perspective but also from the viewpoint of protecting the cultural meanings connected to identity, coexistence, and inherited symbols.
The importance of linking oral material to its social contexts was also highlighted, to prevent it from becoming rigid texts detached from their original environments.
Digital Archiving and Heritage Preservation Experiences
Chaired by Ms. Khadija Al-Balooshi, the eighth session discussed the challenges facing oral heritage in the digital age. Dr. Hafsa Aboud presented a study on folk medicine in northern Morocco under the influence of algorithms, while Dr. Afaf Abdel Hafeez from Sudan addressed digital transformation and the risks of unlawful exploitation of oral heritage, reviewing policies and protection mechanisms.
Mr. Fahd Al-Maamari showcased models for preserving intangible cultural heritage and presented a paper on the patterns and forms adopted in preserving this heritage. This session emphasized that the Heritage Conference in Sharjah explores the role of digitization in preserving popular memory by raising questions about protection, intellectual property, and reliable archiving, especially with the expansion of digital publishing tools and the diversity of access sources.
Mr. Talal Al-Rumaydi chaired the ninth session, which focused on documenting and archiving intangible cultural heritage. Mr. Khalid Al-Badoor reviewed the Emirati experience in archiving heritage and the challenges it faces, while Dr. Wadha Hamdan discussed the relationship between the Emirati artistic experience and oral traditions under algorithms.
The session concluded with a paper presented by Dr. Marima Al-Maliki addressing oral traditions as a system for producing and sustaining intangible cultural heritage. By the end of the scientific day, it was clear that employing digital tools is no longer a secondary option, but a cognitive and cultural necessity to protect popular memory from loss and distortion.
The conference also witnessed the signing of three new publications on the sidelines of the second day’s sessions: “Religious Proverbs in Kuwait” by Mr. Talal Al-Rumaydi, the book “Proverbs and Folk Riddles,” and “Report on Tribes and Ports on the Coasts of the Arabian Gulf and Other Books” by Dr. Issa Amin, edited by Dr. Mohammed Lori.
The scientific papers presented on the second day of the conference emphasized the importance of developing modern mechanisms for documenting oral heritage and leveraging digital technologies and media to preserve it and make it accessible to future generations, contributing to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage and enhancing its sustainability amid rapid changes. The conference will continue its activities tomorrow with a number of dialogue and scientific sessions, alongside the signing of a new set of publications.