The embassies of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Kuwait is set to hold a cultural week in collaboration with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) from 30th September to 4th October 2018. The SADC Cultural Week – the first of its kind in Kuwait is organized to enhance relations between the SADC region and Kuwait through cultural exchanges and to promote people to people cooperation, trade, investment and tourism as encapsulated under the SADC Protocol and SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP).
“SADC’s mission is to provide strategic expertise and coordinate the harmonization of policies and strategies to accelerate regional integration and sustainable development. The protocol on culture, information and sports promotes the participation in cultural and sporting activities by all the nationals of SADC countries while the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan enhances sustainable economic development for the benefit of the people in the region,” Botswana Ambassador to Kuwait Manyepedza P Lesetedi said.
There will be several activities including; an art exhibition, a food festival and community service and musical performances by musicians from the region among others. The art exhibition will feature some designers, sculptors, painters and crafters from the region who will have the opportunity to share with the members of the public the inspiration behind their artworks.
On Sunday, 30 September 2018 (by 7:00pm) there will be an Arts and Crafts Exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Kuwait City. The Musical Festival will be at Abdulhussain Abdulredah Theatre (Salmiya Theatre) on Monday, 01 October 2018 (by 7:00pm). “SADC Cultural Week is aimed at bringing Southern Africa to Kuwait. We hope to enhance the brand of Southern Africa thus promoting tourism and cultural exchanges,” South African Ambassador to Kuwait HE Mzolisa Bona said.
“Southern Africa is rich in culture which is a source of pride for our people. Culture plays a critical role in the facilitation of the people to people exchanges and the growth of creative industries and cultural tourism as well as trade and investments in art which has proven beneficial especially to rural communities. The region provides a huge market of over 286 million people which investors from Kuwait could benefit from. SADC region continues to experience steady inflows of foreign direct investments throughout it member states, owing to its relative stability and attractive investment climate,” Botswana Ambassador added.
SADC is a Southern Africa regional organization. It was founded in 17th August 1992 with a mandate – to promote and advance regional integration and economic development of the region. The regional body is headquartered in Gaborone Botswana. It comprises of 16 member state namely; Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC0, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The main objectives of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are to achieve economic development, peace and security, and growth, alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of the peoples of Southern Africa, and support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration. “These objectives are to be achieved through increased regional integration, built on democratic principles, and equitable and sustainable development,” Ambassador Lesetedi said.
By Chidi Emmanuel