Intl' Caricature Forum to Kick Off on Sunday

Last minute preps are undergoing at Prince Taz Palace where the 6th International Caricature Forum is to kick off next Sunday.

This year, Kuwait will be the guest of honor of the forum which select "Culture" as a main theme of its art works with a dedication to the late artist Mohamed Abdel Moneim Farhat.

The forum will be inaugurated by Dr. Heba Youssef, head of External Cultural Relations Sector at the ministry of Culture, and Dr. Fathi Abdel Wahab, head of the Cultural Development Fund as well as the Artist Jumaa Farahat, president of the Egyptian Cartoon Society which organizes the forum.

The forum will witness the participation of 71 Arab and foreign countries including China, Japan, Cuba, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, Poland, Ukraine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco, UAE and Iraq.

Fawzi Morsi, general coordinator of the forum, says that a selection committee, with the membership of artist Mohamed Effat, Journalist Imad Gomaa, Dr. Mohamed Hamdi, Artist Farouk Mousa, Artist Samir Abdelghani and Emirati Artist Amna El Hammady, has chosen 420 pieces of art by 345 artists .

He noted that 1800 pieces of art were proposed by 512 artists from 76 countries, and applied to participate in the forum.

Morsi explained that the participating artists called, through their sarcastic work, to pay attention to the culture which is one of the basic pillars in building nations. "The fine arts are the soft power that push peoples to get closer to each other and mix civilizations and establish bridges of good relations that will pay off later on all countries," he added.

A collection of caricatures will be presented to the great writer Naguib Mahfouz, the first Arab Nobel laureate in literature.

The forum will continue until July 21, under the chairmanship of the artist Juma Farahat, and co-organizers: Artists Khalid Al-Marsafi, Omar Siddiq, Mona Ibrahim and Marwa Ibrahim.