29th Qurain Cultural Festival inaugurated
KUWAIT: Representing His Highness The Prime Minister, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, and Minister of Information and Culture Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi inaugurated the 29th Qurain Cultural Festival Sunday at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center. The festival will last until February 22.The minister said in an opening speech, “I am honored to represent the Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, to open the 29th Qurain Cultural Festival, which coincides with Kuwait’s national celebrations.”
He praised “the efforts of the Kuwaiti pioneers who celebrated today and received the State Appreciation Award for the year 2023 in recognition of their creative cultural, artistic, and media careers. The minister added that these pioneers and their contributions left a great imprint and a distinct impact through their works that influenced the cultural, intellectual, artistic, and literary movement, alongside the creators who won the State Encouragement Award in the fields of arts.”
The minister noted the efforts exerted by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), and their strategy is keen to develop and enrich intellectual production, disseminate rich knowledge, provide the appropriate climate for artistic and literary creativity, choose means of disseminating culture and fine arts, and strengthen ties and connections with Arab and foreign cultural organizations. The agenda of this year’s festival includes 30 activities covering a wide range of cultures and arts.
“Celebration of 50 Years” is a two-day interactive show that highlights the achievements of NCCAL over the past five decades. Qurain Cultural Festival is keen to choose the personality of each version of the festival from creative people with clear fingerprints in the literary and cultural fields. In addition, this year’s version is named after the great late poet Abdulaziz Al-Babtain, honoring his efforts and impact on the Arabic and foreign cultural fields.
A national musical performance entitled Echo of Poets, led by Maestro Dr. Amer Jaafar, and the performance of an orchestra from Uzbekistan led by Maestro Kamal Al-Din Oren Yaf, with the participation of artist Jassim Al-Nabhan, to tell the story of the pioneer poets in Kuwait and their echo in the Arab world, who influenced our lives with their words and pens.
The band also played musical pieces of Kuwaiti songs with the participation of Kuwaiti choral voices and the distinguished participation of the Qatari Nahham Mansour Al-Muhannadi, who entertained the audience. It also played enthusiastic pieces in solidarity at the festival in support of the Palestinian cause. The show concluded with a Kuwaiti patriotic song and the national anthem. The festival will include many events and activities during the period of the festival, and the public could enjoy the festival’s events by booking tickets through the links in the NCCAL official account on Instagram.