Abdel-Dayem to Head Egypt’s Delegation at Oujda

By: Ali Abu Dashish

CAIRO, Dec. 1 (SEE)- Minister of Culture Dr. Enas Abdel-Dayem will head Egypt's participating delegation in the celebrations of the city of Oujda, the capital of Arab culture, which is being held under the patronage of King of Morocco Mohammed VI.

The ceremony will kick off with an Egyptian cultural week on Sunday, the 2nd of December. The Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO) chose the city of Oujda carry the 2018 title succeeding Egypt’s Luxor.

Abdel-Dayem stressed that the keenness of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication to inaugurate the festivity with Egyptian performances highlights the distinguishing features of our soft power and reflects its unique impact on the intellectual and artistic movement among the Arab brothers.

Moreover, the minister noted that the events include exceptional creative presentations. The Arabic Music Band of the Opera House will present an evening of masterpieces performed by Mohammed El Khouly, Marwa Hamdy, Mostafa El Nagdy and Nehad Fathy. Also, traditional arts will be showcased in an exhibition.

A number of intellectuals and writers are also meeting with their Moroccan counterparts for a discussion on Arab culture and identity including; Dr. Said Al Masri, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Culture, Dr. Hisham Azmi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Books and Documents Library, Dr. Hala Al Badri and Poet Azza Badr. The session will be moderated by Dr. Latifa AlMeskiny and involves a joint music dialogue and a performance by the Luxor Folklore Ensemble.

It is worth noting that the initiative of the Capital of Arab Culture came in line with the European Capital of Culture where the Arab Proposal for Cultural Development, which was presented by the ALESCO, was endorsed at the eleventh session of the Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates in November 1988. The organization adopted Arab cultural capital initiative and support their candidature to the UNESCO.

Egypt’s Cairo was the first city to be declared as the Capital of Arab Culture in 1996. Each city with this title organizes many activities aimed at promoting joint Arab cultural work such as exhibitions, workshops, cultural weeks, film and theater performances and others.

Translated by: Norhan Mahmoud