Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Continuing Education Unit at the University of Baghdad/College of Pharmacy held an in-person workshop entitled “Affliction and Cure in Arabic Poetry,” delivered by our guest speakers Assistant Professor Dr. Inaam Faeq Muhyi from the University of Baghdad/College of Arts/Department of Arabic Language and Assistant Lecturer Narjis Jabbar Saleh from the Student Affairs Division.The workshop aimed to explore how poets express their suffering and pain through artistic language, with a particular focus on understanding the relationship between human experiences such as )illness, sorrow, and hope) and literary texts by referencing selected poetic verses and literary excerpts.The workshop included several topics, including individual affliction, collective affliction, social affliction, mental affliction, and affliction as a driving force for creativity. These themes were analyzed within various literary contexts that highlighted the interplay between personal experience and artistic expression. The workshop concluded that affliction is a multidimensional concept that extends beyond the physical realm. Its forms vary and include physical illness, which has specific causes and treatment methods, and psychological illness, which is further divided into organic and emotional components—each requiring distinct therapeutic approaches. Additionally, the workshop discussed social affliction, encompassing issues such as injustice, backwardness, and poverty, emphasizing that this form of affliction has its own remedies. Literature and poetry, in particular, can play a significant role in alleviating its impact or in voicing resistance against societal suffering.
