By Roy Lie Atjam.
The seventh Embassy Festival took place in The Hague on 7thand 8thSeptember 2019.
The participation in the festival this year involved about 70 Diplomatic missions accredited to the Netherlands. This Festival is rather unique in the Netherlands. It was indeed a pleasure to meet attendees from other parts of Europe who were just as eager as myself to share and savor the essence of this year’s festival.
The participating embassies all showcased the various aspects of their respective cultures. As the theme of the festival emphasized, the Embassy Festival is about the uplifting of global culture and uniting people from across the world in order to foster mutual tolerance, multiculturalism and diversity.
The cultural extravaganza included an authentic Reyog Ponorogo Parade from Indonesia. The parade featured brilliantly designed traditional costumes that truly emphasized the vibrant culture and people of Indonesia.
The Mexico Fundación Xochiquetzal, enthralled spectators at the festival with traditional Mexican dance from different regions of the country such as Veracruz and San Luis Potosi.
The festival was officially opened by Madame Deputy Mayor of The Hague, Mrs. Saskia Bruines. Mrs. Rawan Suliaman, Head of Mission, State of Palestine, spoke at the welcome reception. Mrs. Suliaman lauded the efforts that festival had set out to accomplish, which is to promote the message that culture has the power to inspire as well as unite.
Mrs. Suliaman gave a few examples of the rich Palestinian culture and history that can serve as a catalyst in promoting mutual understanding. An example of this is the newly instituted Palestinian Museum as well as the Lufta Rabbani Foundation which was founded by refugee Mahmoud Rabbani that promotes Euro-Arab dialogue through education and cultural scholarships.
Mrs. Suliaman concluded saying that different cultures can learn from each other and when cultures converge, the result can be beautiful harmony.
The success of this year’s festival no doubt has whetted the appetite of the attendees for the embassy festival 2020. This rich cultural showcase was indeed a triumph as a result of the welcomed participation of the partners and sponsors. It is without a doubt that the Embassy Festival 2020 will be even a greater sensation with continued involvement of the partners and sponsors next year.
