Syrian artists show indelible imprints left by Bolivar & Chavez in history

With this sentence: “Long live Syria, Long live Venezuela, Long live Palestine,” the Venezuelan Ambassador in Damascus José Gregorio Biomorgi concluded the press conference that was held on Thursday at the National Museum of Damascus.

The press conference was held after opening an art exhibition and competition under the slogan “Bolivar-Chavez:  Two eras and one line of thinking” in the same place.

The exhibition included 60 paintings made by Syrian talented and skilled artists and it was opened in the presence of the Venezuelan ambassador in Damascus, several Venezuelan officials, Syrian Ministry of Culture and many foreign diplomats.

Artist Ola Al-Zaibak, one of the participants in the exhibition, told Syria Times e-newspaper: “ As the slogan of the event is from the point of view  of Chavez and Bolivar towards the freedom of peoples, I display in my painting African, European and Asian peoples with the presence of the two leaders, who had encouraged peoples to struggle for freedom, and I add the Syrian flag and broken chains to convey a message that these two leaders [Bolivar and Chavez] help break chains].

She has four years of experience, and she  participated in a such competition, which is annually held by the Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus, for the first time because the idea of the event attracted her.

Artist Melad Hallak, who also takes part in the activity, told us: “ I show in my painting part of Syrian heritage: the Damascene Sword and Arabic calligraphy, which reflects our culture.  There is a connection between Syrian and Venezuelan anthems through one word: SKY. This connection reflects the  connection between Syrian and Venezuelan in terms of liberating peoples from slavery and occupation. I connect the Syrian and Venezuelan flags with the Damascene sword, which is active during war.”

The strength of will

The day of the activity is described as a special day by the Venezuelan ambassador because it  comes one day after the resumption of flights between Venezuela and Syria after a 12-year break and it commemorates the Venezuelan Independence fighter Simon Bolivar and the late leader Hugo Chavez, who broke the restrictions that the imperialism had tried to impose on Venezuela.

“The resumption of flights between the two countries means breaking the sanctions and siege being imposed on both countries.  The countries that impose sanctions on our countries will never reach their goal and will never break the peoples’ will,”  Biomorgi asserted .

For her part, Lubana Mshawah, the Minister of Culture, declared: “The event is being held in a historical place that was left to us by our ancestors, and we are exerting  all possible efforts to preserve it… We gather here in this beautiful event which is organized by the Venezuelan embassy for talented and skilled artists , who believe in the strength of will. The artists gather here to salute the two leaders, who left indelible imprints in the history of their country’s struggle to liberate from colonialism, and to restore the rights, capabilities and sovereignty of their people over their land.

She stressed that the exhibition is important for the ministry of culture since the participating artists embody in their own style their vision towards the two leaders, and it coincides with the daily suffering of Syria to overcome the repercussions of the war.

“Our two leaders and people are on the right path,” she affirmed.

Unforgettable day

The third speech was delivered by the Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia, Middle East and Oceania Tatiana Pugh Moreno, who is visiting Syria .

She said : “There are unforgettable days in our life and today is one of them…We are deeply stirred by the paintings and by  seeing that Bolivar and Chavez left a rich legacy in another country and this reminds us of our responsibility of following up this legacy. The Venezuelan plane that landed in Syria yesterday is part of this responsibility. We have learnt from Bolivar that independence is the most important thing in life, and  this is our main project. We believe in independence and sovereignty.., Chavez reminded us

Moreno concluded by saying: “We saw a message in each painting. The ideas and principles of Bolivar and Chavez flourished in Syria and Palestine. The struggle that started 200 years ago is similar to the current one, and the cultural struggle is one of the aspects of struggle. When our leaders remain in our mind, we will have one goal, which is victory. “

She is visiting Syria for the first time and she found it beautiful.

Reported by: Basma Qaddour