KUWAIT: The National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters of Kuwait (NCCAL) launched the Summer Cultural Festival in its 16th session on Monday by holding a ceremony titled "Night of Al-Huraibi,” in which a bouquet of songs by the late able artist Saleh Al-Huraibi was presented. The secretary-general of the Council, Dr Mohammed Al-Jassar, said in a speech on behalf of the Minister of Information and Culture and the chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, that the festival, which lasts about two months, includes a lot of activities.
Al-Jassar added that the expansion of the activities and the participation of external parties in the preparation of these events reflect the role of the state. He pointed out that the strategic plan of the council is characterized by openness, listening to the opinions of employees in various sectors, and communicating with stakeholders. He noted the increasing demand for following up with the activities of the festival year-after-year from all categories and ages, expressing hopes that these activities will achieve the desired goal by instilling a spirit of loyalty and enhancing the role of culture, thus preserving our values and national identity.
In a statement to the Kuwaiti news agency (KUNA), Al-Jassar said that the reason for holding the festival this year for two months is to provide an opportunity for the large number of citizens and residents to relax during the summer period, especially for the children and the youths. The festival offers more than 10 workshops in drawing, reading, wood painting, foreign languages, and literary studies, in addition to performances by popular bands, in order to revive and preserve Kuwait’s heritage. During the opening ceremony, Ahmed Al-Huraibi’s son presented his late father’s songs, as the orchestra, led by Maestro Dr Mohammed Al-Baijan.