SULTANATE ORGANIZES OMANI CULTURAL DAYS IN ZANZIBAR

Muscat, July 5 (ONA)---

Within the framework of the existing relations between the Sultanate and the government of Zanzibar, the Heritage and Culture Ministry will organize the Omani cultural days in Zanzibar during the period from July 13th to 17th, 2011.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Yousef bin Ibrahim al Balushi, Director General of Organizations and Cultural Relations at the Heritage and Culture Ministry said that these days will include a number of cultural activities that highlight the march of the Omani culture development during the blessed era of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said and its progress.

He pointed out that the programme will include organizing number of heritage and cultural exhibitions.

The programme includes Oman Integrity and Modernity exhibition, which will provide a live picture of the Omani culture and the development it has witnessed during the 40 years of the blessed Renaissance. The pavilion will include a photography exhibitions on the Omani history, heritage, culture, man and achievements of blessed Renaissance.

There will be a pavilion for miniatures, which will display a number of miniatures for the most famous Omani castles and forts, as well as a number of Omani ships that played a great role in disseminating the Omani civilizational culture via their rich marine history, such as Sultana and Sohar ships.

The exhibition will be accompanied by documentary on these miniatures and their historic role.

The programme will also include a pavilion for the Omani manuscripts exhibitions, which is prepared to be in the form of magnified Omani manuscript that highlights the impact of such manuscripts.

As for the Omani traditions and customs pavilion, it will narrate live presentations of the Omani tangible and intangible heritage, as well as art, social and cultural ceremonies of the Omani society in a framework that covers all Omani marine, rural and agricultural environments.

There will be also the "Bridge of Culture; Muscat-Zanzibar," pavilion, which will include a mixture of the Omani and Zanzibari manifestations.

The Omani Cultural Days in Zanzibar will also include a pavilion for craft industries. A number of Omani craftsmen will take part and show live presentations for the most common Omani craft industries, such as sliver manufacture, textile and ship building.

The exhibition will also include a pavilion for the Omani publications. The pavilion will include the latest books and publications published by the Heritage and Culture Ministry, Information Ministry, Tourism Ministry, in addition to other titles in Arabic, English and Swahili on the relations between the Sultanate and Zanzibar.

The Omani-Zanzibari Cultural Debate and Dialogue pavilion will be allocated for open meetings among intellectuals from both the Sultanate and Zanzibar.

The Omani cultural days will also include the Omani traditional folklores by Al Majd traditional folklore troupe.

The cultural activity programme will include a lecture on the Omani Presence in Zanzibar at which Dr. Asya bint Nasser al Bu'ali and Dr. Elham bint Mohammed al Busaidiyah, as well as a number of Zanzibari academicians will take part.

The activities will be organized at Beit al Ajaib whilst the cultural programme will be organized at Beit Al Sahel.

It should be noted that the Omani cultural days in Zanzibar, which will be attended by Sheikh Hamad bin Hilal al Ma'amari, Undersecretary of the Heritage and Culture Ministry for Cultural Affairs and Head of the delegation, Majid bin Abdullah al Abadi, Sultanate's General Consul in Zanzibar within the framework of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was recently signed between the Sultanate and Zanzibar in the cultural field.

Source: Oman News Agency