The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center (SQCC) in Washington organized a private tour for the Founder and CEO of Reconnaissance Research Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri to explore the center’s role in educating the American people about the sultanate’s culture, history and heritage.
The visit comes in the context of Al-Anjeri’s tour of the US capital, aiming to visit US think-tanks and research institutes.
During the tour, the SQCC’s Executive Director Kathleen Ridolfo introduced him to the center that was established in 2005. She showed him it’s contents, including art literature and antiquities, as well as a glimpse into the center’s many previous and upcoming events in Washington.
Ridolfo said: “The center welcomes visitors from across the U.S. and around the world. Likewise, our outreach programs take us across the U.S. each year and allow us to highlight the best of Omani and Arab culture to our audiences. Each year, SQCC offers academic and cultural lectures and events, as well as conferences and symposia that address critical issues facing our world. Our programming supports Oman Vision 2040 and provides an opportunity to bring American and Omani academics together to share experiences and learn from each other.”
She added: “SQCC also offers study abroad to the Sultanate for university students, Arabic classes on scholarship to working professionals and children, and K-12 education. We hosted 71 programs and events in 2019. Now that the world is reopening post-Covid, we expect to match that number in 2023.“
Al-Anjeri said that he, as a Gulf, Arab and Muslim citizen, was proud to see this valuable institution in the capital, Washington, which has influence beyond the US.
Al-Anjeri noted that his private tour of the center, came at the gracious invitation of H.E. Omani Ambassador in the US Moosa bin Hamdan Al-Ta’i, following his meeting with the ambassador.
Al-Anjeri regarded the center as a vivid reflection of bridge-building institutions that seek to establish firm bonds with the US government and its people.
He said: “This institution, together with other similar Omani institutions, constitutes a prime source of soft power used by the Sultanate of Oman over decades. Oman has been ahead of its time in realizing the importance of Track II diplomacy, since the era of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said and which continues seamlessly under the reign of Sultan Haitham bin Tareq, which helped maximize Omani influence in international relations.”
Al-Anjeri added: “As a Kuwaiti citizen, I look forward to witnessing our state’s interest in focusing on utilizing the cultural aspect in our relations with other countries, especially in Asia and the West. We have an untapped surplus of distinguished Human Resources capable of conveying our Kuwaiti culture, whether in its local, Gulf and Arab dimensions. We need more smart marketing to connect with people as well.”
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