Sheikh Salman: Al-Qurain festival conveys Kuwait cultural message to world

Minister of Information Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah said Tuesday Al-Qurain Cultural Festival would convey Kuwait's "noble" cultural message to the Arab and international arenas. The 20th Al-Qurain Cultural Festival will bring together culture, literature and art, which is "in compliance with instructions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to promote creativity, literature and arts," Sheikh Salman, also Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said in a speech at the opening of the festival. The festival, he added, would feature contributions of Arab intellectuals, artists, journalists and critics to further promote pan-Arab culture. He said Al-Qurain Cultural Festival has become a "glowing mark in the cultural and artistic map of Kuwait" since it was launched in November 1994. Culture, added Sheikh Salman, is among the government's priorities because the state believed that culture was the catalyst of development and a major component of social justice and dialogue among civilizations. Sheikh Salman, meanwhile, opened the Contemporary Art House, also known as "Bait Al-Bader." The National Council for Culture, Art and Letters (NCCAL) renovated Bait Al-Bader and transformed it into an exhibition center. The Contemporary Art House aims at preserving the identity of Kuwait music and spreading Kuwait's culture.