Dubai, February 29 2016 – Bishir bin Rashid bin Bishir and Rashid Bin Harmash Al Mansouri shall contest the final of the Fazza Youlah Championship in the Al Meydan quadrant at Global Village on Friday evening, when the eventually crowned champion will pocket a cool Dh1m.
Having originally been plucked from around 600 applicants to be among 16 competitors for the popular TV show this season, both youngsters have since made it through their four-strong qualifying pools and the quarter-finals to reach the semis. There, Bishir was adjudged to have outperformed Ahmed Al Habsi with replica rifle in hand to win through to the climactic showdown, where he will meet Al Mansouri after he brought Dalmook bin Abdullah bin Dalmook’s run in the tournament proper to an end by 77,934 votes to 69,040.
Al Habsi and Bin Dalmook squared off against each other in the third/fourth place play-off over the weekend and the results of that particular tussle will be announced during the 12th episode in four days’ time.
The event, which is organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), also has weekly performances from an Arabic poet and singer in keeping with the recurrent theme of maintaining the UAE’s rich culture and heritage.
Souad Ibrahim Darwish, the Director of Championships at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), added: “The programme’s new format has been a revelation and that has been reflected in the large figures when it comes to its TV audience, which has been voting on the show from the very first episode right through until now.
“The programme has achieved great popularity after 11 continuous years, and the Fazza Championship for Youllah has been ongoing for 16 years, which is a very rewarding development for all of us at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center as we’ve strived to maintain this traditional UAE pastime and transfer it down to the next generation.”
The musician Faisal Jassim dedicated one of his songs to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai.
“I participate in the Fazza Youlah Championship every year and I simply cannot imagine not being a part of it,” explained Jassim. “It’s fantastic to be involved in such a great heritage event, which – in turn – brings me closer to the public, and it represents the continuation of our own popular folklore here in the United Arab Emirates. My sincere thanks go out to the organisers, who were keen to develop a weekly celebration of our Emirati culture and heritage that both appeals to young people and keeps up with the times.”
The poet in attendance, Saad Marzouq Al Ahbabi, shared similar sentiments to Jassim overall. He stated: “My participation is primarily down to the heritage dimension that characterizes the Fazza Youlah Championship and other such activities and celebrations concerning our Emirati culture, history and tradition. I’ve followed the programme since the very beginning and I can only express my happiness with these new poems. I’d just like to wish the two remaining ‘Yaweels’ (competitors) the very best of luck for the final.”
