The 2nd Homs Cultural Festival has witnessed a lot of cultural, artistic and heritage events, including visiting archaeological and heritage monuments in the old neighborhoods of Homs. Among the activities of the festival, the participants discussed the importance of culture and its role in the renaissance of societies, in addition to an artistic concert and the screening of “Rad al-Qada’a” film by Najdat Ismail Anzour.
Some 30 young men and women participated in visiting the archeological places in Homs, and this activity was organized by the Directorate of Culture in cooperation with the Directorate of Tourism and the Department of Antiquities and Museums.
Eng. Ahmed Al-Khadour, Chairman of the Tourism Guides Committee at the Directorate of Tourism, pointed to the importance of these tours to acquaint young people with these buildings and the ages during which they were built.
Eng. Luna Tannous, a member of the Heritage Committee of the Engineers Union, highlighted the importance of these tours and their role in developing the national sense among young people so that each of them will be a tourist guide for his friends in the future.
In her turn, Aya Selim, a graduate of archeology and supervisor in the Department of Children and Adolescents in the Directorate of Culture, said that a large part of the festival’s activities is dedicated to youth to acquaint them with the antiquities and heritage of Homs because this city is rich in monuments that deserve to be given them more attention and care.
Salwa Al Ashram, Ruba Al Abbas and Muzaffar Al Ali expressed their happiness with this tour because they knew more about the value of their country’s heritage and hoped to repeat it in the upcoming festivals.
Within the framework of the festival, a cultural symposium was held under the auspices of Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bitar, Head of Homs Branch of the Arab Writers Union, at Sami Al-Droubi Hall in the Cultural Center in Homs.
Researcher Mohamed Rateb Al-Hallak, member of the Writers Union, made an intervention in which he stressed that the real society is a system of relations between the individuals themselves and then their relationship with the rest of the components of this community , calling for subjecting heritage to the mind. While researcher Attia Massouh talked about the need to develop the concept of national culture.
Dar Al Thaqafa Theater hosted an entertaining concert of “Toyor al-Janna” group, who performed comic shows, songs and presented cartoon characters accompanied by entertainment and cultural competitions.
Amal Farhat- Homs