(MENAFN- Jordan Times) With the goal of bringing cultures together, the exhibition "Sensing the North" opens its doors to Jordanians on Wednesday, introducing them to the shared values of Scandinavian culture and what Jordan and Nordic countries have in common.
The two-day exhibition at Ras Al Ain Gallery is the main event in "Connecting Cultures", a Scandinavian-Jordanian festival organised by the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, in cooperation with Jordanian and Nordic organisations.
The festival started in early May with a workshop on city planning organised by a Swedish organisation and its Jordanian partners and other activities organised by Danish institutions for children at schools and underprivileged areas.
"We're trying to build on existing cooperation between Jordan and the five Nordic countries. We have used whatever there is already and are trying to expand on that," Norwegian Ambassador to Jordan Petter Olberg told The Jordan Times in an interview on Sunday.
"We all contribute different things, but it's all based on a set of common values. We are five different countries but we are very similar," he added.
"Sensing the North" will include music performances, poetry readings and storytelling to showcase Scandinavian culture. Special sections will also be dedicated for design, literature and Nordic knitting.
Three "sensing rooms" will allow the visitor to experience aspects of Scandinavian culture in a more tangible way.
"We have the Scandinavian living room, and it's basically to show how a real traditional old living room would be" to get the feeling of this ambiance you have when you step into the room," Danish Ambassador to Jordan Christina Lassen said.
"We think this room will make many Jordanians see that we have a lot in common because we focus on the family," she added.
Another room includes a key aspect of Danish culture: bicycles.
"All Nordic countries are extremely conscious about the environment" 95 per cent of all Danes own a bicycle. About one in every three in our capital uses it to go to work," Lassen said.
Through the exhibition, the organisers seek to build on the general ideas that Jordanians have about Scandinavian countries.
"For Scandinavia as a whole, many have a relationship with each of our countries, they may know Abba or they may know Lego or other elements," Charlotta Sparre, Sweden's ambassador to Jordan, told The Jordan Times.
"In general, people have an idea that we are peaceful countries, peace-loving countries. But that's why we're doing this, to show who we really are," Olberg said.
After the exhibition, the Scandinavian festival continues with workshops to inspire dialogue among young leaders and empower children through music.
On June 22, Scandinavians and Jordanians will celebrate the "Midsummer Night", which, according to Nordic tradition, is the lightest day of the year and was long considered a magical night.
"Every year for a couple of decades, Scandinavians have gotten together with Jordanian friends in the Scandinavian Forest [near Jerash] to celebrate our traditional Midsummer," Sparre said.
"This year we are going even more public. Anyone is welcome to the forest," she said.
The Nordic ambassadors voiced hope that the festival as a whole will engage Jordanians to seek further information about Scandinavian culture.
"I think that this is a way of showing the diversity and yet the similarities both between us but also the links that we have to Jordan," Sparre said on Sunday.
"If we manage to raise their curiosity, so that they go and try to find out more about our countries" we'll be more than happy to tell them more," Liisa Maunula, minister counsellor representing the Finnish embassy, said.
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