Syria participates in the second Baghdad International Theater Festival

Baghdad (ST): The activities of the second Baghdad International Theater Festival kicked off today in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with the participation of 15 plays from Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Oman, Italy, Germany and France, which will be shown in Baghdad theaters for seven days.

In a speech during the opening ceremony, which was attended by the Syrian ambassador in Baghdad, Sattam Jadaan al-Dandaj, the Iraqi Minister of Culture stressed the importance of the pioneering role of Arab theater in the early emergence of the first civilizations in Iraq, Egypt and Syria.

For their part, Iraqi officials, artists, and intellectuals expressed, in statements to news reporters in Baghdad, their great happiness at Syria’s participation, as the Iraqi Minister of Culture described the Syrian participation as an   important sign.

In turn, the Iraqi artist Mahmoud Abu Al-Abbas saluted Syria’s participation in two works in this festival, stressing that the Syrian theater was and will remain a source of theatrical life in the Arab world.

For his part, the poet Nofal Abu Ragheef, Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, stressed that the Syrian participation represents a double presence and has great importance, because Syria has an  ancient culture in the theater and has a distinguished presence in the jury, the performances that were presented, and in the critical sessions, pointing out that honoring Syrian artists in the opening session has several dimensions related to the relationship of the Syrian and Iraqi peoples.He was referring  to the honoring of the, actress Sulaf Fawakherji in the opening ceremony of the theater , in appreciation of the Syrian theater and its achievements.

K.Q.