The 2nd Arab Cultural Festival hosted by the Korea-Arab Society and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Korea Foundation, National Theater of Korea, and Arab Diplomatic Missions in Seoul, started on May 12 and will continue through May 18 to 20 at the National Theater of Korea, arthouse MOMO, and ECC Student Theater at Ewha. The programs of the 4-day long festival include traditional and folk Arab performances, exhibitions, hands-on experience events, and Arab film screenings.
Traditional Arabic Wedding Ceremony held in Cultural Plaza at the National Theater of Korea will offer the opportunity for audiences to experience a Sudanese wedding ceremony themselves. Exhibited along with Traditional Arabic Wedding Ceremony is the Arabic costumes exhibition where audiences can try traditional clothes and garments like thobe, chador, hijab, and galabeya. hands-on experience events also include an Arabic Food Stand, where audiences can sample typical Arabic dishes from Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon and Oman, as well as a Henna Art Exhibition. Henna artists will demonstrate henna drawings.
Photography and Travel Journal Exhibition will feature a selection of alluring travel pictures and journals taken and written by Korean travelers and backpackers who had the opportunity to visit the Arab region. Other hands-on experience events include outdoor exhibitions that display Arabic arts and crafts provided by various Arab embassies in Korea.
Performances of Arab troupes from Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Morocco provide the chance for audiences to get to know what traditional Arabic Arts, Moroccan Gnaoua music and other exotic music and dance are all about.
Arab films that are critically acclaimed by international film festivals including Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, and San Sebastian Film Festival, are also available for Korean audiences. Various films that deal with contemporary issues of the Arab world will be presented. Get a glimpse into the lives of Arabic people depicted by filmmakers ranging from those who are world-renowned to the up-and-coming.
Korea-Arab Society, host of the 2nd Arab Cultural Festival, was launched in May 2008 founded by government administrative bodies, corporate companies, and other affiliated organizations of Korea and 22 Arab countries. As a non-profit organization aimed at deepening the relations between Korea and Arab countries, the Korea-Arab Society expects to shift the economy-oriented relationship between the two regions to a new level of relations that recognize the importance of political, cultural, academic cooperation.
Starting from the first performances by a Sudanese traditional art troupe on May 12, the opening ceremony, followed by performances by troupes from the Arab Emirate, will be shown on May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at KB Haneul Theater, National Theater of Korea. On May 19 and 20, dances from Qatar and Morocco will be on stage at 8 p.m. at the same theater. In the arthouse MOMO of ECC, five different Arabic movies will be shown each day from May 18 to 20 and at the same time, a calligraphy exhibition will be held at ECC Theater (B403) for three days from 11 a.m. Traditional Wedding Ceremony, Hena Art Exhibition, and Photography and Travel Journal Exhibition will be held at Cultural Plaza, National Theater of Korea. Seats for the performances and film screenings are limited and will be arranged on a first-come first-served basis. For further information on the schedule of the events, call 02)3216-1185 or refer to the homepage (www.arabfest.org).