KUWAIT: Stemming from its unwavering support for Kuwait’s youth and their contributions to cultural programs and entrepreneurial initiatives, Burgan Bank announced its sponsorship of the Expo 965 Team for Heritage Crafts Exhibitions and Talented Kuwaitis.

The strategic sponsorship is set to span a year, covering the team’s efforts throughout the 2023-2024 season. This sponsorship marks an expansion of Burgan’s efforts to support local talents and promising artisans, as well as dedication to the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in business and community development alike.

The Expo 965 team, which was established with the sole purpose of preserving Kuwait’s traditions and culture and introducing them to the younger generations in an exciting and attractive way, comprises 175 Kuwaiti volunteers who contribute to the domestic cultural scene in different capacities. While some of the team members are owners of private museums, others are researchers whose work revolves around Kuwaiti heritage, dialect, and rare antiques.

“Our sponsorship of the Expo 965 Team comes under the umbrella of Burgan’s comprehensive social responsibility and sustainability program and our unwavering support of Kuwait’s most ambitious talents,” commented Hessa Hussain Al-Najadah, Senior Manager – Corporate and CSR Communications at Burgan Bank. “Under the umbrella of this program, the Bank continues to support all events and initiatives that shed a light on arts, contributing to the preservation of Kuwait’s cultural heritage and the handcrafts that reflect the Kuwaiti identity and capture the history of our ancestors.”

She went on to note, “We truly appreciate the yearlong efforts that the Expo 965 Team exert in organizing top-class exhibitions, domestically and abroad, which allow for showcasing high-quality crafts and artwork that embody the Kuwaiti heritage. With every successful exhibition, a wider audience, especially the younger generations, get to learn more about the Kuwaiti culture and renew their pride in our rich heritage.”

On his part, Ali Mohammad Kamal, Founder of the Expo 965 Team, said: “We extend our gratitude to Burgan Bank for its sponsorship and support of our team’s effort throughout the upcoming year. We are very proud to be partners with a proactive institution such as Burgan Bank which shares our belief in the importance of preserving our cultural heritage, artisanship, and rare antiques.

We are also grateful for their support in helping us preserve the non-tangible aspects of our culture such as our dialect and customs that face the danger of dwindling and slowly vanishing from our memory and the world’s.” Kamal clarified that the team was established in 2016 on the shoulders of a select group of creatives, artists, and craftspeople whose primary cause is to safeguard Kuwait’s national heritage against erosion and collective forgetfulness. This goal, he clarified, can only be achieved through supporting and developing rising artists and continuously educating the younger generations about their country’s rich culture and what it stands for.

“We are very proud of being able to represent Kuwait and its culture in international exhibitions and foreign embassies,” he added. “In addition, we continue to organize local exhibitions that target school and university students who expressed genuine fondness of the displayed artwork and crafts, and even engaged with the different activities that we embed throughout the exhibitions.”

It serves to note that Burgan Bank continues to support all initiatives and events that advocate for Kuwait’s national arts and culture heritage, no matter the format. As part of this collaboration, Burgan Bank and Expo 965 will share timely updates of all upcoming events in 2023-2024, allowing a bigger audience to enjoy the beauty of Kuwait’s cultural heritage.