A grand opening of the African Crafts Exhibition took place in the evening of November 11, at the Kuwait National Museum as part of the events leading up to the Arab-Africa Summit, which is hosted by the State of Kuwait from 19 to 20 November, 2013. The official opening was conducted by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who is both the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and of Health.
The exhibition will continue from November 12 to 15, and is colored by the participation of different African countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Gabon, Ivory Cost, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Nigeria, Togo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Participating Arab counties include Jordan, Sultan of Oman, Lebanon and the hosting country, State of Kuwait. The opening was graced by dignitaries across the breath and length of Arab and African world, including special guests from other regions of the world. These participants included some cabinet Ministers from these regions, senior government officials, diplomatic corps, entrepreneurs, artists, cultural groups, the media, non-governmental-organizations, faith-based and community organizations.
Ms. Angeline Masuka and Ms. Hlengiwe Dube are the two craft-women representing South Africa at the crafts exhibition. They respectively specialize in world-class beadwork and basket weaving. A 15 member-group of South African folkloric performers/artists, called Afrik Motion Dance Theatre, had arrived to perform in Kuwait on the side-lines of the Arab-Africa Summit to further contribute to the social cohesion of the two regions and of South Africa and Kuwait in particular. The troupe is slated to perform on Friday, November 15 at the Souq Sharq Mall and on Saturday, November 16 at the Avenues Mall.
The participation of the South African cultural craftspeople and performers has been generously sponsored by the Kuwaiti Government. This positive involvement has directly contributed to South Africa’s strategy of rural development including youth and gender empowerment.
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
