Under the high patronage of H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas, and from the Church of the Nativity Square in Bethlehem, the “Bethlehem : Capital of Arab Culture for 2020-2021” event was launched on Saturday, April 10, 2021, with live transmission by the Palestinian television from ALECSO headquarters.
In his inaugural statement, President Abbas expressed his thanks to H.E. Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, to the Arab Leaders, as well as to H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, for their continuous support to the State of Palestine and its valorous people. He commended ALECSO’s efforts in the service of education, culture, science and scientific research in Palestine, and its support for all nomination files in these areas, including the file for the nomination of Bethlehem, a city with profound significance for all humanity, as Capital of Arab culture 2020-2021.
On his part, Dr. Ould Amar underlined, in his statement on this occasion, the importance of the “Capital of Arab Culture” project, which was launched in 1996, and its significant role in publicizing the rich and diverse culture of the Arab countries. He commended the choice by the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers in its latest session in Cairo, to declare Bethlehem, the historic city with deep civilizational roots, Capital of Arab Culture for 2020.
Dr. Ould Amar recalled that the city of Al-Quds has already been proclaimed “Permanent Capital of Arab Culture”, which gives the “Bethlehem : Capital of Arab Culture for 2020-2021” event a greater moral significance, and reinforces the role of culture in defending the Palestinian people’s Arab cultural identity and their historical right to every inch of their land. He concluded by stressing the need to take best advantage of such events to further promote investment in culture in order to achieve sustainable development and prosperity across the Arab world.
