Qatar- Symbols of Latin America and the Caribbean on display at Katara
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Officials tour the exhibition.
DOHA: The national symbols of 11 countries which are members of Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) are featured at the ‘Symbols of Latin America and the Caribbean’ photography exhibition at Katara.
The ambassadors of Panama Ecuador Brazil El Salvador Peru Algeria Poland Libya Moldavia Oman Spain Argentina Costa Rica Cuba and Mexico the charge d’affaires at the Venezuelan embassy in Qatar and the Colombian ambassador to the UAE attended the opening of the expo led by Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti.
The exhibition presents five symbols from each GRULAC member country including Argentina Brazil Colombia Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Panama Peru and Venezuela.
The high-quality photos depict the capital of the country the national animal the national plant or flower the national dish and a historical monument. They represent the identity culture history and the personality of each country.
“The relationship between the Arab and Latin American cultures dates back to centuries and millions of Arabs live in the South American continent acting as a bridge to link both cultures and serving the rich inter-cultural communication between both sides. We hope the exhibition will be followed by many more hosting the symbols of art culture and music in Latin America” said Dr Al Sulaiti.
“We believe that by gaining insight into the symbols and what they mean to the country you will more deeply appreciate this element of cultural heritage which goes beyond that of a simple image to represent a sign of identity and even pride” said Peru’s ambassador and dean of Latin America ambassadors in Qatar.
Brazilian Ambassador Roberto Abdullah said the exhibition aims to further introduce Qataris to the cultural scene of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Brazil for example is not only about football and Samba as many Arabs may think.
“There’s much more. We have 16 million citizens in Brazil who come from Arab origins. We need to open up more to each other’s cultures and Qatar is taking a leading role in this regard” he added.
Colombia’s Non-resident Ambassador Fayhan Al Fayez Shalhoub said: “The exhibition is a symbol of our beautiful continent.
“The Arab cultural influence in Latin America is huge. It is old and dominated Spain for several centuries before millions of Arab migrants reached Latin America during the 18th and 19th centuries.
“Now we started this expo to bring you a taste of our culture next move will be to bring the Qatari and Arab culture to Latin America through similar exhibitions.”
The expo runs until March 15 at Katara Building No. 18.
The Peninsula