- Title: SYRIA: Damascus becomes Arab cultural capital
- Date: 13th January 2008
- Summary: CLOSE OF LARGE SCREEN DISPLAYING DAMASCUS SCENES
- Embargoed: 28th January 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA39300BCKZXJ4UMDGM476TPQXU
- Story Text: Fireworks erupted over Damascus on Friday night (January 13) as huge crowds gathered in the city's Umayyad Square to join in celebrations proclaiming Damascus the capital of Arab culture for 2008.
The Arab League designates a different Arab cultural capital annually, and Damascus now takes the torch from the Algerian capital Algiers.
Music and coloured lights filled the ancient square and crowds enjoyed an evening of street performances by Syrian and international artists, dancers and acrobats.
Italian Valerio Vesti, the organiser of the event, said the city's history justified the title.
"Damascus is a surprise for me because I've never been here before this event," Vesti said.
"I can feel the history in this town. All the history of humanity crossed this town," he added.
Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and may have been inhabited as early as 8,000 to 10,000 BC.
Hanan Kassab Hassan, head of the Damascus Arab Capital Of Culture 2008 organising body, said Friday's celebration would be followed by two other celebrations to mark the event.
"We have organised three launches. The first one was open was open to everyone, and the event was broadcast on television so that even those outside Damascus could see the celebration. The second one will be an official event, and it will take place on January 19 and attendance will be by invitation. There will be a third launch in the city of Grenada in Spain, to highlight the role Damascus played when it was the capital of the Umayyad Empire in taking Arab culture through Andalusia into Europe," Hassan said.
The Umayyad Empire extended from Spain to India from the years 661 to 750 AD, during which time Damascus, as the Empire's capital, reached the hight of its power and prestige.
As the new Arab cultural capital, Damascus will host performances and cultural events throughout 2008.
Amongst the highlights of the programme is a conference which is expected to bring together Czech writer Milan Kundera, American intellectual Noam Chomsky and novelist Isabel Allende, daughter of former Chilean president Salvador Allende.
Another is a performance by Lebanese diva Fairuz, one of the Arab world's greatest women singers, who last performed in Syria 20 years ago.
Anti-Syrian politicians, MPs and journalists in Beirut, who accuse Syria of interfering in Lebanese politics and hindering the election of a new Lebanese president, have asked Fairuz to cancel the performance.
It remains unclear whether Fairuz will go ahead with the Damascus performance, scheduled for January 28, as planned. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None