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Korean Cultural Week Opens its Doors at Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation
Tuesday 25 October, 2011
Dazzling Dance Performances and Exquisite Hand-made Ceramic Works of Art Worth Tens of Thousands of Dollars
Activities of the Korean Cultural Week kicked off Monday evening, October 24, 2011, at the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation in Dubai. The event, which runs until October 27, 2011, includes a number of musical and dance performances, film screenings, as well as various art and cultural activities, and is organized by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai and Busan Metropolitan City.
The opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Abdul Hamid Ahmed; Secretary General of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, Members of the Board of Trustees of Al Owais Cultural Foundation; Dr. Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawa, and Nasser Hussein Al Abboudi, in addition to the Korean Consul General to Dubai; H.E. Hong Yong Jong and the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cairo, Mr. Jaeyang Park. The opening was attended a large audience that brought together members of the Korean expat community in Dubai as well as many intellectuals, artists and journalists.
During the opening ceremony, H.E. Abdul Hamid Ahmed honored members of the Arisu Artist's Association taking part in the art exhibition held on the sidelines of the Korean Cultural Week, where they were presented with a commemorative shield. The audience took a tour of the large exhibition, which includes tens of paintings belonging to different art movements and offers a glimpse of contemporary Korean Art. Moreover, the audience visited the section dedicated to the artworks of Korean Ceramic Artist Sun Shik Kim, where an exquisite collection of ceramics and pottery was on display, including some ceramic works of worth tens of thousands of dollars, which are considered to be the pride of traditional Korean craftsmanship.
H.E. Abdul Hamid Ahmed; Secretary General of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. He warmly welcomed the Korean delegation and thanked Korea Foundation, which helped coordinate the Korean cultural activities, and also thanked the Korea National University of Arts and the city of Busan, which has offered a great deal of help in its aim to present an authentic image of Korean culture to UAE audience. Furthermore, Mr. Ahmed read an excerpt entitled "Do You Know That Distant Country?" by Korean poet, Sin Seok Jeong, published in the book: Selections from Modern Korean Literature. The book, which has been issued and distributed by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, includes selected="true"="true" writings by leading Korean writers and novelists, and is prepared by the Foundation's Executive Director; Novelist Abdul Elah Abdul Qader.
Furthermore, the opening ceremony included a performance by the Busan Metropolitan Dance Company, which was established in 1973. The troupe, which comprises more than 50 members, including dancers, chereographers, and the administrative team, presented a colorful array of performances, such as : "Chunhataepyong-jimu", "Blue Sky"," The Sweetbrier", "A Nation's Dance", "The Water Scale", "The Wedding day of Yi Ppen Yi", " The Fan Dance" and "Madang Dance Yard".
At the conclusion of the evening, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Mutawa presented the Art Director of the Busan Metropolitan Dance Company; Mr. Ki-Tae Hong with the foundations commemorative shield, after which group photographs were taken with members of the Busan Metropolitan Dance Company, amid resounding applause from an admiring audience who had flocked to see traditional Korean art performed in Dubai.
The Korean Cultural Week is a culmination of a cultural visit made by a delegation from the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation to the Republic of South Korea upon the invitation of the Korea Foundation, located in the Korean Capital Seoul. During the visit the two sides made coordinated efforts to hold a Korean Cultural Week at the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation.
H.E. Nasser Al Abboudi; Member of the Board of Trustees of Al Owais Cultural Foundation, said this event comes in continuation of the new and geographically-varied cultural aspirations of Al Owais Cultural Foundation, and stressed that every culture has its own flavor and its own distinct color that sets it apart from other cultures. Moreover, Mr. Al Abboudi pointed out that a great number of UAE nationals and residents came to attend this major cultural event, which is a positive sign that highlights the positive role played by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation aims to reinforce cultural openness by means of communicating with civilizations and cultures around the world.
It is worth mentioning that the activities of the Korean Cultural Week will extend to Ras Al Khaimah, which will host some of the Korean cultural events in cooperation with the Ras Al Khaimah branch of the Emirates Writers Union on Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th of October, 2011.
