Mohammed bin Said bin Salim Al Shanfari (Arabic: محمد بن سعيد الشنفري) (26 December 1949 - 16 April 2016) was an Omani dramatist playwright and director. It was said of him that “His ideas inspired a generation.” He spent his working life advancing the cause of drama and the theatre. He received several awards in recognition of his work together with favourable reviews in Arabian media while he was alive, and also after his death.
He highlighted the need to hone the skills of Omanis working in drama to encourage the development of new generations of artists capable of taking dramatic art forward throughout Oman. As a teacher, he conducted practical training courses throughout the country. He aimed to encourage talented young Omanis to achieve their full potential and to this end his advice and experience were freely available to all who might benefit therefrom.
He was the author of many written works on theatre related subjects and of as yet unpublished works of poetry.
Early life and education
He was born on 26 December 1949, in Salalah, Dhofar, Oman. where he and his two brothers Ahmed and Abdullah were raised. His mother, who died while he was young, was Saida Bint Abdulazis Al Ruwas and his father was Sheikh Said Bin Asalm Mohammed Al Shanfari. His earliest education was from tutors at home. At age 10 he went to the Al Saidiya School in Salalah. At age 12 he left Oman and went to an English-curriculum Oil-company school in Abu Dhabi from which he graduated.
He held a master's degree in Theatrical Directing which he obtained from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1974; a Higher Diploma in Theatre Studies which he obtained from Cardiff University, United Kingdom, in 1978; and a Television Sciences Higher Diploma which he obtained from Syracuse University, New York, United States, in 1980.
Career
Mohammed Al-Shanfari began his professional career in The Sultanate of Oman in 1975 when he became Head of the Theatre Section at the (then) Ministry of Information and Culture which was responsible for the development of youth drama. He established the first official national theatre group in Oman which is known today as The Youth Theatre. He delivered many training courses in the field of Theatre Arts, aiming to improve the skills of young Omanis in the Youth Theatre throughout Oman to prepare them for a better role in the field of theatre and in culture in general. He continued working at the Ministry until 1978, when he was appointed Director of Local Programs and Director of Play-writing at Sultanate of Oman Television, where he prepared and directed Drama works for Omani Television, a position he held until 1981. He worked as Director of the Oman Youth Theatre from 1981 to 1992. From 1992 to 1995 he worked as an Arts Specialist in the Office of the Deputy Director General of the General Assembly for Youth Sport and Cultural Activities. In 1995 and 1996 he was an Arts Specialist in the Office of the President of the General Assembly, President for Youth Sport and Cultural Activities until his retirement on 1 December 1996.
Mr Al-Shanfari was a Referee on the committee for evaluation of religious TV programs at the first TV festival in the Gulf, in Kuwait, in 1979. He represented Oman at the Cannes International Film Festival (Cannes Film Festival) in 1981. He was a representative of Oman at the Arab-African Film Symposium in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1981. He was a member of the Cultural Committee of the General Secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council, (Arab states of the Persian Gulf), 1982-1986 He participated in the first theatre festival in the Gulf, in Kuwait, in March 1988.