Category: News update

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stated that the Organization has paid growing attention to the theater over the last period through its programs and projects, in recognition of its role in building nations and raising their civilizational awareness throughout history by highlighting injustices on its stage.

Dr. AlMalik made this statement on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the opening session of the 13th Edition of the Festival of Arab Theater, held in Casablanca, on 10-16 January, by the Arab Theater Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco. The festival is held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the State of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah, President of the Arab Theater Authority. This edition is held under the theme, “Towards a new and renewed theatre” and saw high-caliber participation including officials, ministers and theater artists from different parts of the Arab world.

The DG stated that the attention ICESCO accords to the theater are manifested in its celebration of World Theater Day in 2022 and its organization of an international symposium which will be held next March, on the latest developments in world theater, announcing that the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), which reports to ICESCO, will hold the FUIW Theater Forum.

He added that Arab theater never ceases to prove its merit to be a major world theater, given the boldness, richness and diversity of the topics it addresses, noting that it drew from the Arab tale literature and built on it to branch out into various forms including political, social, educational, children and poetic theater.

The DG commended the selection of Casablanca to host this edition, as it celebrates the theatrical growth the Kingdom has witnessed over time and recognizes the contributions of Moroccan theater figures who excelled at Arab and international stages.

The DG concluded his address by reaffirming ICESCO’s readiness to cooperate with the Arab Theater Authority and other institutions concerned with supporting theater and theater artists, to promote the presence of this prestigious art and contribute to overcoming the challenges it faces.

The festival’s opening session featured the respective addresses of Mr. Mohamed Hahdi Bensaid, Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication; Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO); and Mr. Ismail Abdellah, Secretary General of the Arab Theater Authority. The opening session also featured tributes to several theater artists.

At the end of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on the occasion of the launching ceremony of Nouakchott as the Culture Capital of the Islamic world for 2023, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), attended several cultural activities within the framework of this celebration.

ICESCO DG participated in the inauguration of the memorial erected on the road to Nouakchott airport, on the occasion of the celebration of this city as Culture Capital, during a ceremony held in the presence of his accompanying delegation, Mrs. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick, President of the Nouakchott region, as well as several Mauritanian officials.

Designed and built by young Mauritanian women engineers, the memorial is distinguished by its artistic lines inspired by Islamic art, consisting of the name of Nouakchott inscribed in large letters in both Arabic and French clearly visible to all visitors to the city from the airport.

Dr. AlMalik also attended a play in the Cultural Village of Nouakchott, which depicts a historical Mauritanian epic entitled: “Bint Al Bar,” in an open theater that includes all elements of the desert environment, with the participation of several actors using horses and camels.

He also participated in the awarding of prizes to the winners of two races of camels and horses, organized by the National Federation of Camels, the National Federation of Equestrian Sports and the Presidency of the Region of Nouakchott.

Representing an aspect of the culture and sports heritage of the country, these races saw the participation of horses and camels of domestic breed for a distance of five kilometers on a track designed according to international standards.

ICESCO DG also attended a live-fire shooting competition, organized in a shooting range located not far from Nouakchott.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Ms. Mabrouka Toghy Othman, Libyan Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Nouakchott, following their attendance of the opening ceremony of the celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.During the meeting, held on Saturday, January 7, 2023, Dr. AlMalik stated that as part of its new vision and strategic orientations, ICESCO accords priority attention to safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage in the Islamic world.

He added that the Organization exerts tireless efforts to inscribe historical sites and cultural elements on its heritage lists, and build the capacities of heritage professionals in the Islamic world on how to prepare nomination files.

The Director-General also noted that ICESCO has inscribed several Libyan historical sites in its heritage lists and is continuously working with Libyan parties specialized in the fields of education and science to have a better understanding of their needs and priorities aimed at designing suitable programs and activities.

Likewise, the meeting discussed ICESCO’s support for the School of Arts and Traditional Crafts in Tripoli to become a regional hub for promoting and preserving heritage traditional crafts and holding training sessions for heritage professionals in Libya.

For her part, the Libyan minister commended ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States to safeguard and promote their heritage, noting that the Ministry organized last week a ceremony to celebrate the inscription of some Libyan sites on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), took part in several cultural activities during his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to attend the launch of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.

These activities are part of the year-long celebration program, which features many activities, including intellectual and cultural fora.

In this regard, Dr. AlMalik took part in the symposium “Mauritanian knowledge as an ambassador,” held at the Palais des Congrès, in Nouakchott, on Friday evening, January 6, 2023.

This symposium discussed the roles of Mauritanian cultural diplomacy and the impact of Mauritanian scholars on science, culture and thought around the world.

In his opening speech, Dr. Mohammed El Mokhtar Ould Bah, chair of the symposium, whose writings and research have served the Chinguetti culture, expressed his gratitude to the Mauritanian authorities and ICESCO for having proclaimed Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.

He also called for the mobilization of all efforts so that the contribution of Mauritania to the Islamic and human civilizations is recognized.

The symposium included three sessions, the first on the image of Chinguetti in modern Arabic sources, the second on ” Pilgrims’ Route: Characteristics of Influence and Impact,” and the third on the concerns of the homeland and nation through scientific communication between Mauritania and the Islamic world.

Prior to the symposium, Dr. AlMalik and Ms. Fatimetou Bint Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Region, visited the Cultural Village, which represents a typical village of the Mauritanian lifestyle and includes Al-Mahdara tent, which is an important symbol of the traditional teaching mechanisms in Mauritania.

They also visited the artisans’ tent, which aims to support and preserve handicrafts, the tent of traditional Mauritanian gastronomy and other aspects of Bedouin life, traditions, customs, and ways of living.

Dr. AlMalik expressed his admiration for the valorization of Mauritanian intangible heritage in the cultural village, the opportunities it offers to artisans and the support it provides to the continuity of traditional crafts, stressing that the celebration of Nouakchott is an opportunity to highlight and strengthen these efforts.

During an artistic ceremony, organized by the National Union of Mauritanian Employers to welcome the guests of the celebration of Nouakchott, in the presence of a large number of officials, private sector as well as cultural and media figures, Mr. Mohammed Zinelabidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed, President of the Union, honored ICESCO Director-General and some prominent personalities in recognition of their efforts to serve the culture and preparation of the celebration.

On Friday, 6 January 2023, Nouakchott’s Convention Center (Palais des Congrès) hosted the launch of the city’s celebration as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023 under the auspices and chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. This celebration is part of the programme of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World.

The launching ceremony witnessed the high-level participation of the Mauritanian Prime Minister, members of the government, heads of constitutional and national institutions, ministers of culture, delegations from some ICESCO Member States and a host of academics, thinkers, authors and media professionals.

The ceremony began with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by artistic renditions highlighting the Mauritanian heritage, madih and creative performances by schoolchildren.

At the outset of his address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), noted that Nouakchott is deserving of the title of Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023 given the valuable contributions of the city and the Mauritanian republic to poetry, literature, fiqh, grammar and morphology, adding that ICESCO will provide full cultural support to the year-long celebration through various activities.

He reviewed the main cultural activities to be supervised by the Organization throughout the year, most notably those geared towards preserving and valorizing the heritage sites and cultural elements inscribed on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, contributing to the restoration of several heritage sites and launching the ICESCO Young Poets Forum.

Dr. AlMalik concluded his address with a poem entitled “The Flower of Cultural Capitals” which he composed on this occasion.

ICESCO DG then presented Mrs. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick, President of the Nouakchott region, with the flag of Nouakchott, Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.

During the ceremony, Mr. Mohamed Ould Sidi Abdallah, Secretary-General of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee supervising the celebration, reviewed the key axes of the celebration’s national programme which features cultural, scientific and educational activities to be implemented in cooperation with ICESCO and which are aimed at highlighting the capital’s cultural richness and diversity.

Mrs. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick expressed her delight at the launch of this celebration and stressed that the region has established a specialized committee in charge of promoting Nouakchott’s tangible and intangible heritage in cooperation with all relevant authorities.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), indicated that thanks to ICESCO’s outstanding Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World, the celebrated cities will become major cultural destinations.

In a video-recorded address, Dr. Nevine Al-Kilani, Egyptian Minister of Culture, stated that the selection of Nouakchott as culture capital in the Islamic world for 2023 is an opportunity to internationally promote the city as a major cultural hub.

In his address, Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidatt, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, Chairman of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, noted that the selection of the city as culture capital reflects ICESCO’s recognition of the cultural prominence of both Nouakchott and Mauritania at the regional and international levels.
Following the ceremony, H.E. Mauritanian President, accompanied by ICESCO DG and senior officials, visited the exhibitions organized as part of the celebration which showcase the Mauritanian heritage.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a series of meetings with several Mauritanian officials on the first day of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to attend the launching ceremony of the celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.

Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation met with Dr. Houssein Ould Meddou, Head of Mauritania’s High Authority for Press and Broadcasting (HAPA), and together discussed a set of proposals to ensure the media’s contribution to the success of the celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023. During the meeting, which was held on Thursday, 5 January 2023, the two parties also explored means for fostering cooperation between ICESCO and the Authority in training and building the capacities of journalists and media professionals, particularly in consolidating peace and combating hatred, and harnessing modern technologies and artificial intelligence for the development of the media industry.

Dr. AlMalik visited the headquarters of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, where he was received by Mr. Mohamed Ould Sidi Abdallah, Secretary-General of the Commission, who welcomed ICESCO DG and his accompanying delegation and commended ICESCO’s support for Mauritania’s efforts in the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

After the meeting, ICESCO DG and his accompanying delegation met with the higher committee in charge of supervising the celebration’s organization, which comprised mostly of representatives from Mauritanian ministries. The parties emphasized that they will pursue their joint efforts for a successful celebration and will follow up on the implementation of the activities planned throughout the year.

Dr. AlMalik then took part in a cultural symposium organized by the Mouhitt Center for Development, Women and Peace in Nouakchott, where he was received by Dr. Mekfoula Mint Akah, President of the Center, in the presence of a host of female and male authors and poets who discussed traditional Mauritanian literature and poetry.

His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Nouakchott.

At the outset of the meeting, which was held on Thursday, January 5, 2023, ICESCO Director-General (DG) expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to His Excellency the Mauritanian President for his generous patronage of the celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023, and his honor to preside over the launching ceremony of the celebration on Friday, January 6, 2023.

ICESCO DG also expressed his thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the Mauritanian government, the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, and the Higher Committee for the celebration, in arranging and coordinating with ICESCO for the success of the celebration, noting the interest he had felt in the celebration since his arrival in Nouakchott.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed the main components of the new vision of the Cultural Capitals of the Islamic World Programme, which goes hand in hand with ICESCO’s priorities in anticipating the future, preserving and valorizing heritage in the Islamic world, encouraging innovation as well as investing in modern technology and its applications to achieve sustainable development.

He noted the importance of inscribing the Mahdara on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists and the Organization’s desire to introduce this experience of traditional education in Mauritania to the Islamic world countries and beyond.

For his part, His Excellency the Mauritanian President commended the development and modernization that ICESCO has witnessed in recent years, noting that His Excellency is following the Organization’s efforts in supporting its Member States, including Mauritania, in the fields of education, science and culture.

His Excellency the Mauritanian President also commended ICESCO’s efforts in inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on its Islamic World Heritage Lists, and the Organization’s awareness of cultural diversity in Mauritania when inscribing these sites.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Nouakchott Region, Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (ULCG), on the first day of his official visit to Mauritania to attend the launch ceremony of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2023.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Thursday, 5 January 2023, the President of Nouakchott Region welcomed ICESCO DG and his delegation and expressed her happiness at celebrating Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2023.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed his hope that Nouakchott would be a role model for other culture capitals in the Islamic world and contribute to enriching ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme, within the framework of its new vision, which stresses the importance of cultural capital and endeavors to promote the image of these cities and turn them into cultural destinations.

Dr. AlMalik also reviewed the mainlines of the Programme and the activities that ICESCO will implement, in cooperation with the Mauritanian authorities, within the framework of the celebration, calling on Nouakchott Region to propose the programs or activities it deems appropriate for implementation, in line with the needs of the citizens of the Mauritanian capital.

Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick stressed that the Nouakchott Region will exert every effort to ensure the success of this outstanding cultural celebration, noting that the city has many adequate facilities for the celebration activities, including the cultural village, which will host many cultural activities and festivals.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed on close cooperation and regular coordination to ensure the success of the programs and activities of the celebration.