Cultural initiative to promote Arab Culture
The 2008 Arab Capital of Culture was chosen to be Damascus, Syria. The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative undertaken by UNESCO,[1] under the Cultural Capitals Program, to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region. The preparation for the festivity began in February 2007 with the establishing of the Administrative Committee for “Damascus Arab Capital of Culture" by a presidential decree.
Events
The festival's events included:
January
February
March
- A musical concert by the Orchestra of Mari.[7]
- Bahok, a dance performance by Akram Khan.[8]
- House of Cinema, a celebration of Arab cinema.[9]
- World Poetry Day, a series of poetry workshops in celebration of the World Poetry Day.[10]
April
May
- Women Sing... Their Voices Converse, a music performance by Arab female musicians at Azm Palace.[12]
June
July
- World Music Nights, a series of concerts by groups from different parts of the world, with focus on ethnic music. The concerts included Dhafer Youssef, Pink Martini, Faudel, Johnny Clegg, Angelique Kidjo, Lena Chamamyan and Tinariwen.
- Classical Music Nights, a series of classical music concerts in tribute to Solhi al-Wadi.[16]
- The Falcon: Abdulrahman al-Dakhel, a dance show by the Syrian dance group Inana about Abd ar-Rahman I, the first Umayyad Caliphate in Spain.[17]
- Julio Iglesias performing at the Roman theatre of Bosra.[18]
August
- A series of concerts by the Lebanese musician Ziad Rahbani at the Citadel of Damascus. It was the first time Rahbani performs in Syria.[19]
- The Festival of Oak of Mallajeh, the 12th edition of this annual cultural festival was held under the patronage of Arab Capital of Culture festival.[20]
September
- Spiritual Music Days, a series of concerts by a number of traditional and spiritual musical groups.[21]
- Memory Club hosts Colette Khoury, an event and talk by the Syrian writer.[22]
October
November
December
