“Cham Gathers Us” Festival Kicks Off

On July 16, the 2nd session of “Cham Gathers Us” Festival kicked off in Tishreen Park in Damascus.

Under the patronage of Damascus Governorate, the one -month festival is organized by the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with The Ministry of Internal trade and Consumer protection and the Ministry of Tourism.

The Festival includes 28 activities of plastic artsexhibition, musical performances, folk dances, sports, an outdoor cinema which presents nightly films at 8.30, zoo, coffees, fast food shops, bazars, a book fair, and others.

The Festival also includes the Food Street which presents a wide range of Syrian and western dishes for food enthusiasts.

“We hope to bring to light again  the Damascene heritage and provethat life in Damascus is normal and everything has returned as it was pre-2011,” Nazer al-Hafar, a member at the Damascus Chamber of Commerce’s Fairs Committee, the Organizer of Festival said to Syria Times. 

Nazer al-Hafar said that there are 10000 visitors daily.  On Thursdays and Fridays there are 20000 visitors. Each visitor pays 200 SP to enter the Festival and to attend all activities for free.

Khaloud Rajab, chairperson of Roots (Juzour) Organization which protects and presents health and psychological support for the Down syndrome children. It supported about 25000 children from 2016 till August 2019.

“We participated in ‘the Cham Gather Us Festival’ to show our Juzour Organization’s activities to visitors. We established Succet Coffee to train the Down syndrome young, males and female. We want to train so they can emergeas young labor in the market,”Khaloud Rajab said to Syria Times.

Khaloud Rajab from Juzour Organization

The Festival includes artists, plastic art and wood sculptor activities.

HazimOudah, Syrian -Palestinian painteris painting an outdoor atelier with other artists from the Cultural Ibda’at (Innovations) Forum which was established in 2014.

“We want to encourage and support the Syrian youth artistic talents and activate the cultural and artistic life in the Syrian arena,” BassilHashim, Director of the Cultural Ibda’at (Innovations) Forum said to Syria Times.

Syrian young artists are painting outdoor in Tshreen Park

“We are five Syrian sculptors who are working on wood sculptors in outdoor atelier to show day by day our works to visitors,” Hanan al-Haj, 27-year-old Syrian wood sculptor is engraving on wood.

“Our participation in the Festival is to illustrate our organization’s aims in presenting a secure and safe platform for youth,” Rawan Ghazi, Director of Shabab al-Abalad( Youth of Country) Organization said to Syria Times.

Shabab al-Abalad (Youth of Country) Organization was established in 2017 to support and sponsor young Syrian entrepreneurs, innovators, and new companies.

The Damascene Village is a Damascene traditional sculptor district inside the Tishreen Park to illustrate the Damascene daily life and bazars.

“I am a decorator and want to build a Damascene small sculptor to show how the Damascene food shops, Tanoor bread bakery, Fool and Falafal shop, bazars and other 15 activities,” ZuheerBagebouge, the founder and director of Damascene Village said to Syria Times.

 

Special for Syria Times

 

Reported and Photos by Obaida al-Mohammad

Inas Abdul Kareem

Photos from the Cham (Damascus) Gather US:

The Damascene Village