By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The 27th Qurain Cultural Festival opened on Monday at the Abdulhusain Abdulredha Theatre in Salmiya. During the opening ceremony, Dr Suad Al-Sabah was awarded as the Arab Poem Day personality of the year. Other personalities were awarded for their efforts and services in culture, formative arts and social sciences. Also, encouragement awards were given to winners in various fields of arts and sciences.

A laser light show was presented, followed by commemorating famous astronomer Saleh Al-Ojairi, who passed away recently, along with other Kuwaiti pioneers who passed away including poet Ahmad Al-Saqaf, Abdulaziz Al-Mfarej, and Ismail Fahad Ismail.

Minister of Information and Chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) Dr Hamad Rouh El-Din said people missed the Qurain Festival after a long interruption due to the pandemic. "The government is supporting this cultural festival and the development of the cultural movement in Kuwait. I'm glad to be awarding all these great personalities for 2021. This encourages the cultural movement and future generations. I hope these cultural and artistic activities will continue," he said during the opening ceremony.

Secretary General of NCCAL Dr Eisa Al-Ansari noted that symbols of arts and literature are being awarded during this year's festival. "NCCAL is supporting and developing intellectual production through providing a suitable environment for high-quality cultural and artistic productions. The Qurain Festival is a milestone in Arab culture, and it's launch tonight represents the official return of cultural festivals after two years of interruption," he pointed out. The festival's activities will continue till March 30, and include the following:

March 22: Al Arabi Magazine exhibition (for three days) at the Modern Arts Museum

March 22: (8:00 pm) Graduation ceremony of the first batch of the 'Music House' project at the Modern Arts Museum

March 23: (6:30 pm) 'Arab Poem Day' ceremony at the Kuwait National Library

March 24: (10:00 am) NCCAL publications exhibition (till March 30) at the Kuwait National Library

March 24: (5:00 pm) Kufi calligraphy workshop (for two days) at the Kuwait National Library

March 24: (6:30 pm) Unveiling the mural 'Kuwait and USA 60 years of friendship' at the Modern Arts Museum

March 25: (8:00 pm) Musical performance of folk band Naser Bu Awadh at Souq Mubarakiya

March 26: (8:00 pm) Theatre play 'Al Taboor Al Sadis' at Dasma Theatre

March 27: (9:00 am) 'Reviving the horse heritage among Arabs' - documentary and photo exhibition on horses at the Kuwait National Library

March 27: (5:00 pm) 'Digital Content Creation' workshop at the Kuwait National Library

March 28: (10:00 am) Open Heritage Day at Bayt Al Bader

March 28: 10:00 am celebrating the international day of intellectual property and youth at the Kuwait National Library

March 28: (6:30 pm) 'Art and Literature in New Form' lecture at the Kuwait National Library

March 28: (7:00 pm) Musical performance 'The Sununu Project' at the Yarmouk Cultural Center

March 29: (10:00 am) Launching the center of NCCAL publication at the NCCAL headquarters

March 29: (6:30 pm) Al Qurain formative arts exhibition (for one week) at the Funoon and Ahmad Al-Adwani Hall

March 29: (8:00 pm) 'Suda 22' exhibition at Bayt Al Sadu

March 30: (8:00 pm) Conclusion ceremony presented by poet Saher at the Abdulhusain Abdulredha Theatre.