It is also discovering a culture where poetry has a strong presence. The first known Socotri poet, Fatima al-Suqutriyya, was born in the 9th century and remains a popular figure of the Socotri people, who use poetry and songs as integral parts of their daily, social and spiritual life.
Today still, it is with this oral language that poems and songs are declaimed, give to hear and understand many themes borrowed from the ancient written Semitic traditions - but also the oldest legends of Socotra, including those related to the dragon tree. Telemethel is the most popular form of socotri poetry.
However, like the dragon tree whose number is gradually decreasing, the Socotri language is gradually dying out, with the development of Arabic on the island.
Also, the risk is high to lose valuable strata of the Socotri folk heritage. Even though it helps to understand many of the literary themes and characteristics of ancient Semitic written traditions, including the Old Testament, the Ugaaritic epics, and even Assyro-Babylonian and Mesopotamian literature.
Given the context described above, Socotra’s poetic culture deserves to be documented. So we will go and meet poets of native language, to collect Socotri legends and poems that will be translated into Arabic and French, then in English, as part of an illustrated poetry book.