Activities of the “Damascene Rose in Sanremo 2024” project kick off

Rome (ST) – In conjunction with the annual Damascene rose harvesting season in Syria, the activities of the “Damascene Rose in Sanremo 2024” project were launched today in Italy. The event is held by the Syrian Trust for Development in cooperation with the Santagata Organization for the Economics of Culture, the Villa Ormond Institute, and the Italian International Institute of Humanitarian Law.

The project aims to enhance Syrian culture and introduce the importance of its role in the Mediterranean countries, by highlighting one of the most famous Syrian cultural elements, the Damascene rose, and the traditional practices and crafts associated with it, which was registered on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2019.

The project that will last for 5 days, includes many rich cultural activities, including a photography exhibition, musical and cinematic evenings, intellectual seminars, and a display of the artistic sculpture of the Damascene Rose.

Member of the Board of Trustees of the Syrian Trust for Development Fares Kallas, stated that the Damascene Rose in Sanremo 2024 project is an extension of the Damascene Rose… from Syria to Turin project.

“The Damascene rose is present now in Italy and will always be present to raise the slogan “peace and humanity..from Syria to the world” in the language of roses against the language of war, destruction and sanctions, because heritage and identity are the right of every human being”, Kallas added.

On the first day of the event, a symposium on cultural heritage and human rights was held during the screening of the documentary film “The Oath of Cyriac”.

Some 200 students from heritage institutes, as well as experts in in international law and cultural heritage professors in Italy took part in the symposium which shed light on the important relation between the cultural heritage and the failure of international institutions to respond to the attacks on the most important sites that have been registered in the list of world heritage, like what happened to the Syrian cities of Palmyra and old Aleppo.

The dialogue also focused on ways to alleviate the impacts of the siege and unjust sanctions imposed on Syria and which deprived the Syrian society of the basics of life and prevented civil institutions from exercising their role in protecting and rehabilitating Syrian heritage sites.

One of the most important messages of the film “The Oath of Cyriac” is the role of heritage in preserving the identity, history, and cultural heritage of societies, and the efforts exerted by workers in the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in Syria to preserve cultural identity during the war waged on Syria.

It is to be noted that “The Oath of Cyriac” film is docudrama that has won more than 20 international awards in international festivals. It is directed by Olivier Bourgeois and produced by the Syrian Trust for Development. It tells the true story of the Syrian heroes who defended the identity and memory of the Syrian people in the face of terrorism, which has affected the human legacy in Aleppo city.

Najla Khoury/ Hamda Mustafa