Event features wide range of artistic performances

Mohammad Al-Jabri honouring Yassin Shamlan Al-Hasawi

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11, (KUNA): On behalf of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Information Mohammad Al-Jabri inaugurated the 24th edition of Qurain Cultural Festival on Wednesday evening.Al-Jabri, also President of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature (NCCAL), said that Kuwait, as long-standing beacon of Arab cultural enlightenment, puts its resources at the disposal of the cultural and artistic movement. Under its wise leadership, the State of Kuwait takes pride in its leading role in promoting all forms of arts, literature and culture, he said at the opening ceremony. “Kuwait’s contributions to the cultural enlightenment stem from profound belief of its leaders and people in the role of culture in deradicalization and in curbing extremism, hate and xenophobia,” the minister pointed out.Al-Jabri noted that Qurain Festival provides a chance for creative men of letters, artists, media people and critics from across the Arab world to network and add to the cultural movement. “Since its first edition in November 1994, the festival has turned to be a regional and international cultural platform for intelligentsia to display their achievements that contribute to social stability and economic development.“The annual event helped Kuwait being selected as capital of Arab Culture in 2001 and Capital of Islamic Culture in 2016,” he went on. The current session of the festival is honoring Yassin Shamlan Al-Hasawi — a Kuwaiti celebrated poet and writer, and Fahad Al-Rabiq — a Saudi he added.