The Arabic weave in the fabric of European literature

For two days, Milan became a vibrant crossroads of languages and literatures, hosting the 9th International Festival of Arabic Language and Culture, titled "The Arabic Weave in the Fabric of European Literature". The event took place on 17-18 April 2026 at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and was promoted by the Arabic Cultural Institute, the Centro di Ricerca di Lingua Araba and the Sharjah Book Authority.

The opening ceremony immediately highlighted the event’s institutional and international dimension, with remarks delivered by prominent figures including Ahmed Al Ameri from the United Arab Emirates, M’hamed Safi Mostaghanmi from the United Arab Emirates, Walid Othman and Wael Farouq, Director of the Arabic Cultural Institute at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Their interventions stressed the importance of cultural dialogue between Europe and the Arab world, a principle vividly embodied in the performance of ArabCor, the university’s Arabic language student choir, directed by Hani Gergi.

The academic conference opened on Saturday with a keynote lecture by H.E. Adel Omar Sherif, titled Between Codes and Conscience: Legal Literature Across Arab and European Traditions. He offered a profound reflection on the relationship between law, culture, and narrative, showing how Arab and European legal traditions are deeply rooted in their respective cultural and literary frameworks.

From this opening contribution, the conference unfolded through a series of thematic sessions exploring the multiple dimensions of Arab cultural influence in Europe. The second session focused on Arabisms and linguistic contact across Europe. The third examined the influence of One Thousand and One Nights on Italian literature, including its links with the Decameron and Orlando Furioso. The fourth extended this perspective to German literature. The fifth explored Arab narrative models from al-Andalus to the present day, while the sixth addressed the relationship between Arab tradition and European literary modernity. The seventh broadened the scope to poetic and literary dialogues across the Mediterranean, highlighting their continuity and contemporary relevance.

The festival concluded with a highly artistic and symbolic final segment dedicated to poetry and performance, divided into two parts. The first, Female Poetic Voices from the Mediterranean, featured poets from Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, offering a polyphonic tapestry of voices rooted in diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes yet united by a shared Mediterranean poetic sensibility.

The second part, Vox Dei Sud Terrae Lux, brought the festival to a close as a "poetry concert" curated by the group Casa della Poesia Meridiana - Casa del Duende. Through an integration of spoken word, music and movement, the closing performance transformed the festival into an immersive artistic experience, where academic reflection and creative expression converged in a powerful articulation of intercultural encounter.