Staff Reporter
For seven consecutive days Kuwait experienced the richness and diversity of African arts and culture courteous of the embassies of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) members in collaboration with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) of Kuwait.
Titled SADC Cultural Week, the festival is one of the initiatives to cement relations between SADC countries and Kuwait through cultural exchanges, people to people cooperation and tourism.
“SADC Cultural Week is aimed at bringing Southern Africa to Kuwait. We hope to enhance the brand of Southern Africa thus promoting tourism and cultural exchanges,” explained South African Ambassador to Kuwait HE Mzolisa Bona said.
Adding on Botswana Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Manyepedza P Lesetedi said, “Culture plays a critical role in the facilitation of the people to people exchanges and the growth of creative industries and cultural tourism as well as trade and investments in art which has proven beneficial especially to rural communities. The region provides a huge market of over 286 million people which investors from Kuwait could benefit from. SADC region continues to experience steady inflows of foreign direct investments throughout it member states, owing to its relative stability and attractive investment climate,”
Several activities that included an art exhibition, a food festival and musical performances by artists from the region were held.
SADC Cultural Week kicked off on 30 September with an Arts and Crafts Exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Kuwait City and was followed by a Musical Festival at Abdulhussain Abdulredah Theatre (Salmiya Theatre) the following day.
Zimbabwe’s Deputy Ambassador to Kuwait, Mr Francis Ngwenya Mudzimu applauded the SADC artists for a successful tour. Zimbabwe was represented at the festival by two artists, former director of the Zimbabwe College of Music Christopher Timbe and renowned Sculptor Eckel Nyamhondoro.
Additional information from Kuwait Times
