Kuwait is Arabs' cultural capital for 2001

Celebrations in Kuwait will start on Saturday on the occasion of selecting Kuwait as the Arab capital for culture for the year 2001.

This event which is organized by the national council for culture, the arts and literatures will last for one year and include cultural, technical and musical activities.

The celebrations will start by a signing opera under the title" the homeland of the book" which speaks of the role played by Kuwait in the Arab cultural area. Then al-Qareen 7th cultural festival starts and in its course two seminars will be held the First is under the title Arab translation and culture and the second is about the people's traditions in the Arab Gulf region.

The celebrations which will start on Saturday will be attended by the secretary general of the Arab League (AL), the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab ministers of Cultures and several Arab cultural, media and intellectual figures.

The technical activities of the festival cover several exhibitions including an exhibition for the antiquities of the Arab World Institute in Paris, A Japanese art exhibition besides an exhibition for the recent artistic works of Kuwaiti artists.

The festival will also include musical activities in which Arab and foreign artistic bands are taking part.

Throughout the year 2001 several cultural projects will be inaugurated beside other theatre and cinema activities.] The UNESCO had approved the idea of cultural capitals and this decision was adopted by the Arab ministers of cultures when Cairo was selected in 1996, Tunisia in 1997, Sharja in 1998, Beirut in 1999, al-Riyadh in 2000 and Kuwait 2001.