Google celebrates her today (November 28) because it was on this day in 2011 that a prestigious event recognized her contributions to literature. During the event, Ousha Al Suwaidi’s poetry was recited by well-known poets and writers, along with poems written in her honor.
She was only 15 when she achieved national fame in what was a predominantly male field of literature. In 2010, at the age of 90, Ousha received an award at the 11th Sharjah Classical Poetry Festival.
Later, she received the highest civilian honor in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Awards, presented by the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.
It was His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, who named her “Fatat Al Arab” (Daughter of the Arabs), replacing her nickname of origin “Fatat Al Khaleej”. In 1989, Sheikh Mohammed dedicated a poem from his first published collection to Ousha.
The poetic community also established an annual award for Emirati female poets in the name of Ousha Al Suwaidi in 2011. A library at the Emirates International School and a section of the Women’s Museum in Dubai have also been dedicated in her honor.
Ousha Al Suwaidi died in 2018 at the age of 98.