The activities of the Babylon Festival for International Cultures and Arts will kick off in its ninth session, with a wide international, Arab and Iraqi participation, reaching more than 260 foreign, Arab and Iraqi invitees.

The festival is not related to the Babylon Music Festival, which was held by the Ministry of Information before 2003, but will be in a new version after it received support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and it will be held with the participation of personalities from all Arab countries as well as personalities from European continents. And the Asian and American to participate in its many activities, which last for 10 days, including theatrical performances, an exhibition of plastic arts, books and concerts.

Al-Shalah: The festival will host dozens of cultural events (Al-Jazeera)

Bigger and wider

The founder and head of the festival, poet Ali Al-Shalah, says that all preparations for the opening ceremony have ended, indicating that the festival will be the largest and most extensive, as it will include dozens of activities related to culture in order to consolidate the concept of cultural action and its importance in peace among peoples as well as peace in Iraq.

Al-Shalah adds, "The idea was adopted by us for the first time in 2012 after Iraq was without important cultural festivals, and it is a purely cultural festival that refuses to be a margin on politics, and we made it an independent cultural tributary with the help of many Iraqi friends, and we succeeded in distinguishing it since its first session, It presented poetic, narrative, plastic, theatrical, cinematic and intellectual activities, in addition to folkloric musical and lyrical activities, historical fashion shows and red carpet events,” noting that the festival’s slogan, “We are all Babylon,” which was chosen since its first session in 2012, was based on this concept considering Babylon of civilization, history and peace. .

Regarding other difficulties, Al-Shalah said that “the festival faced problems from the beginning, including that it was held in light of the bombings and security tension in all governorates, then the Corona pandemic came to stop everything,” but he says that after lifting the ban on movement and gatherings, “we decided to return the festival.” He instilled the spirit in him, for with art we build man and peace.”

And he talked about this version of the festival by saying that invitations were sent to more than 260 invitees, including 34 foreigners from France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, Russia, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the United States, Colombia, Costa Rica and others, noting that the invitation was also sent to about 80 Arab personalities as well as 150 Iraqi creators. In all areas.

He stated that the festival, due to its multiple curriculum in previous sessions, was classified by UNESCO in Paris as one of the most important cultural events, as well as for its active role in returning Babylon to the World Heritage List. The book prepared by the festival committee in Arabic and English was the only publication distributed to the delegations of countries voting in favor of the resolution. .

Babylon Festival for World Cultures and Arts in its ninth session (We are all Babylonian) from 17 to 26 March 2022🌹🌹 pic.twitter.com/WncH60x6LQ

- Iraqi tributaries (@iraqitributari) March 13, 2022

Activities and Curriculum

Regarding the most important events that the ancient city of Babylon will witness, the festival president said that they include an international book fair for more than 100 publishing houses, the (Woman Painting) plastic exhibition, the Arabic calligraphy exhibition in the presence of foreign guests, the World Poetry Festival, and the International Narrative Festival, and he talked about intellectual seminars. He said that it will focus on "Arab cultural identity after "terrorism", and Babylon after the inclusion on the World Heritage List, as well as the "Achievement and the Future" symposium, as well as "Rambo Muslima", in addition to the Arab Book in the Digital Time symposium for the director of the Arab World Institute in Paris, Dr. Mujeeb Al-Zahrani. .

He pointed out that the artistic events are numerous, including "7 Iraqi, Tunisian, Omani and Jordanian theater shows, in addition to 4 Arab and foreign film shows in the presence of their directors, as well as dozens of bands, artists and musicians, in addition to the presence of stars of drama, theater, music, literature and sports on the red carpet."

And he indicated that the activities of the curriculum, which will be held from March 17 to 26, 2022, will be distributed between the Babylonian theater, the Nanamakh temple, the southern theater, the Marduk Hall and the Fine Art Hall, in addition to the book fair, which this year will include the activities of the cultural café as well, where a special wooden theater will be built "in anticipation of rain." .

Festival logo (Al Jazeera)

Names of the invitees

Regarding the most important names invited to the festival, Al-Shalah said that the great Arab poet Adonis will participate from a distance to recite a poem written 40 years ago about the problem of time in its tragic dimension, as it is today, and a symposium for Damascus writers about the great poets of Iraq, such as Muhammad Mahdi Al-Jawahiri, Abdul Wahab Al-Bayati and others, and the novelist will also participate. The great Algerian Amin Al-Zawi, the great Egyptian poet Ahmed El-Shahawi and the Director of the Arab World Institute in Paris, Dr. Mojeb Al-Zahrani, as well as the Secretary-General of the International PEN League, the great Estonian poet Katlin Kaldama, the Iraqi poet Hamid Qassem and the Tunisian novelist Shukri Al-Mabkhout.

Among the participants are the Italian poet Lusley, Moroccan poet Idris Alloush, Moroccan thinker Abdel Qader El Chaoui, Egyptian storyteller and publisher Atef Obeid and Turkish poet Hilal Karkhan, as well as Algerian poet Rabia Jalti, Egyptian director Enas Al Degheidy, Syrian actress Suzan Najmuddin, great Sudanese novelist Tariq Al-Tayeb, and artist The Sudanese revolution, Nancy Ajaj and her band, the Algerian poet Dr. Rabia Jalti, and dozens of plastic artists and dozens of poets.

He stressed that the festival aims to present Iraqi culture and arts and introduce them to the world through openness to all important cultural events, and to make the world feel that we are the owners of a great civilization.

In a question to Al-Jazeera Net about funding sources, Al-Shalah confirmed that they depend on the method of searching for supportive partners, considering that the celebration by the Iraqi cultural and media circles contributed to "the trust of the sponsors in us and the support of some state institutions that celebrated the positive echo of the festival on the Arab and international levels."

The Babylonian theater will host the main events of the festival (Al-Jazeera)

Various activities

Al-Shalah pointed out that the Tunisian play “The Last Time”, which won the last Carthage Festival, written and directed by Wafaa Al-Tayoubi, will be among the festival’s activities, along with an Iraqi play for the protest theater entitled “Black Box”, which is the third part of the project written and directed by the artist Majid Darandash, and a play. Misleading.. Gan” written and directed by Ghaleb Al-Amidi, in addition to Jordanian and Omani performances, and the plastic exhibition “Woman’s Painting” will be a tribute to women, and the International Book Fair will witness the attendance of 100 Arab and international publishing houses.

The festival will also host important Iraqi experiences abroad, such as the experience of theater director Hazem Kamal and film director Ishtar Yassin.