It’s festive time in Arab world
Dubai: With the beginning of the summer, festivals and cultural activities are flourishing across the Arab region, reviving the beauty of ancient times, art and literature.
From Oman’s Salalah in the east to Tunisia’s Carthage in the west passing through Byblos in Lebanon, people are busy with folklore dances, concerts, poetry reciting and other musical shows.
While some festivals have already started, several others are expected to begin soon. Here are glimpses of the cultural activities that have been taking place in Oman and Tunis.
Darwish decries factional clashes
The world’s most prominent Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, pauses during a reading in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
Darwish, considered by many to be the Palestinian poet laureate, made his first appearance in Israel on Sunday since leaving for Lebanon and Jordan in 1971.
Darwish has decried the bloody factional clashes that led to the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip during his first recital in Israel in 37 years.
“We woke up from a coma to see a monocoloured flag [of Hamas] do away with the four-colour flag [of Palestine],” Darwish said before about 2,000 people who managed to get a ticket to his reading.
“We have triumphed,” he said with thick irony.