At the 19th meeting of GCC Ministers of Culture, H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa: “Culture is our home-gathering refuge to embrace self-awareness and feel pride in our past and future common heritage”.
The GCC Culture Ministers held their 19th meeting on Wednesday, 2 October 2013, as Manama-celebrated as the Capital of Arab Culture 2013. The ministers discussed many planned projects lined up for this year as part of the joint GCC cultural strategy, in addition to proposals aimed at bolstering cooperation and exchanging cultural databases. Their excellences GCC Ministers and their representatives attended the meeting in the presence of GCC Secretariat delegates.
On behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain, being the host –state of 19th meeting of the GCC ministers of culture, H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, the head of the event, welcomed their excellences and delivered a statement in which she conveyed greetings from H.M. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister to the participants. H.E Bahraini Minister of Culture wished them happy stay in the kingdom and successful meeting, at a time Manama is celebrated as the Capital of Arab Culture 2013.
Minister of Culture, H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al- Khalifa voiced hope that the gathering would come up with recommendations and resolutions that could contribute to a further development of cultural relations among all the six GCC member states, and elevate the culture movement. H.E Shaikha Mai highlighted the Keenness of the ministers to attend the meeting, in addition to their stances from the joint cultural movement, which reflect the true desire of their peoples and countries for the necessity of having integration in the cultural planning, and developing the joint cultural action.
H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, the Minister of Culture asserted that culture is the means to attain the ambitious goals and successful programmes to build the integrated successful Arab personality, and protect it from threatening dangers, raising their deep-self-awareness, building their future and keeping them active with the civilized, Arab and international surroundings.
H.E Minister of Culture expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the GCC General Secretariat for its support of the event, voicing her true wishes for success and prosperity for the honored GCC figures and artists for their distinguished creativity in this field.
The GCC General Secretariat, represented by Assistant General Secretary for Cultural and Media Affairs, Khalid Bin Salem Al Ghassani, expressed its immense appreciation and gratitude to His H.M. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister for the generous invitation to attend this meeting in Bahrain. Mr. Khalid Bin Salem Al Ghassani, said that culture with its general and comprehensive concept, is considered a true and a clear reflection of the development and progress in various fields. Moreover, Al Ghassani highlighted that the ministerial cultural meeting was held in critical conditions witnessed by the entire nation, and the GCC states in particular, especially the great changes, and the radical developments afflicting every corner of the Arab World, obliging all parties to cope with them.
Mr. Al-Ghassani argued that said that the GCC Cultural Strategy has a scheduled time which extends to 10 years to implement its ambitions, and in the light of the current variables, time has become a crucial element in implementing it in a shorter time.
In addition , The meeting discussed a number of cultural activities planned for the current year within the GCC Cultural Strategy, and means to realize this strategy into results on the ground. There was also a discussion of means to strengthen communication among the member states and exchange of cultural databases, as well as means to strengthen cultural interaction with other friendly nations. The officials put much focus on means and programs and initiatives to strengthen the sense of and pride in the Gulf cultural identity among the masses. The role of and care needed towards the Arabic Language was also stressed, as was the need to preserve and stress Arab and Islamic cultural and artistic heritage.
On the sidelines of the ministerial session, a ceremony was held to honor a number of GCC figures for distinguished creativity many artistic fields, opened by music poetry singing by Ta’a Al-Shabab members of poems by famous Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad. The ceremony’s scroll of honour includes Obaid Suroor, Dr. Said Mubarak Al-Haddad, Fatma Ahmed Ahmed Al-Naqabi (UAE), Dr. Mubarak Najm, Dr. Baqer Al-Najjar and Abd al- ilah Al-Arab (Bahrain), Safiya bin Zaguer, Mohammed Abdulla Al-Ali, Mohammed Al-Qashmai (Saudi Arabia), Abdulla Habeeb, Dr. Aysha bint Hamad Al-Darmaki, and Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Suleimi (Oman), Abdulaziz Al-Jassim, Fahd Al-Kubaisi and fine artist Yusif Ahmed (Qatar) and Abdullatif Al-Bannai, Ghanim Yusuf Al-Shaheen Al-Ghanim and Waleed Abdulla Al-Awadhi (Kuwait).
http://www.moc.gov.bh/en/mediacenter/news/2013/September2013/Name,10481,en.html