By  Roy Lie Atjam. Leiden, 15 November 2018, the Ambassador of Egypt in the Netherlands. H.E. Mr. Amgad Abdel Ghafar organized a diplomatic reception in connection with the opening of the exhibition Gods of Egypt. The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden served as a backdrop. The Museum houses a fabulous collection of artefacts from ancient Egypt. According to a report, the Gods of Egypt exhibition includes 500 artefacts collected in cooperation with the Louvre, Allard Pierson and Vienna museum. The exhibition coincides with the 200th anniversary of the National Museum of Antiquities establishment. Gods of Egypt is a very impressive exhibition.  It proves how enormous the influence of the gods has been on the daily life of the ordinary ancient Egyptians. The following gods were venerated; the god of the heavens, the god of the moon, the stars, the earth and god of the house. Gods of Egypt is also the fifth high-profile exhibitions in Leiden. The others were that of   Petra, Carthage, Queens of the Nile, and Nineve in 2017. Ambassador Ghafar commenced by welcoming, Madame Barbera Wolfensberger, Director-General of Culture and Media at the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Dr Win Weijland Director National Museum of Antiquities. Mr Maarten Raven, fellow Ambassadors and friends of Egypt. Prof. Dr Maarten Raven delivered a vivid introduction on Gods of Egypt. What is more, Ambassador Ghafar referred to the remarks made by the Greek historian Herodotus upon visiting Egypt around 450 B.C. Herodotus exclaimed “nowhere are there so many marvels in the world”. He then added, still talking about the Egyptians “they have existed ever since men existed upon the earth.”  Ambassador Ghafar continued// these Statements by Herodotus, nearly 2500 years ago, reflect clearly he Western fascination with ancient Egypt in all aspects of its history, culture and daily life. Indeed, current and future generation of Egyptians, are immensely grateful to our ancestors, who left us such wealth of wonders that still contributes and enriches human heritage today. However, we could not have appreciated these marvels without the dedication of countless Egyptologists, curators of museums and even amateur archeologists, from different parts of the world. Indeed, we owe them a debt of gratitude for their efforts and zeal. In this regard, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Wim Wijlend, and Mr. Maarten Raven and their respective teams, for their relentless efforts to ensure the launch of this unique exhibition, and for having hosted around than 18 other exhibitions in this museum since 1995.  Allow me also, to seize this opportunity to pay homage to a distinguished curator and Egyptologist Mr. Maarten Raven, who contributed a great deal to this museum and Egyptology. His achievements were best highlighted in Dr. Eim Weijland’s speech, that left no stone unturned for anyone to elaborate further. I wish you Mr. Raven the very best in all your future endeavors. Ladies and Gentlemen, Without a doubt history lessons, Modern literature and Cinema have popularized many aspect of life in Ancient Egypt, to the masses. Suffice to mention Ancient Egypt, and it will conjure images of mummies, pyramids, Pharaohs, Queens, tombs, lost treasures, legends of Gods and Goddesses …etc. Yet, many aspects of religion with many Gods and Goddesses in that era, are relatively unknown. The role of mythology in Ancient Egypt is a case and point. Hence, I hope this special exhibition launched today, is of particular significance in providing these insights. In a universe made out of men and women, Gods and Goddesses, ancient  Egyptians have reflected the progressiveness of the society since they set the very first examples in history of emancipation, and progressive rights, especially pertaining to gender equality and strong presence of female deities that possessed powers and were revered as much as their male counterparts in ancient Egypt, not to mention having temples erected in their honors. Enough to mention Hathour; Goddess of love and motherhood, or Isis who was venerated in the Greek and Roman cultures as well. Not surprisingly therefore, that the Goddess representing Justice is a female deity “Maa’t”, who still have her name and symbol “the feather” depicted on none other than the very entrance of the Peace Palace; International Court of Justice. Religion played a significant role in Ancient Egypt and influenced nearly every aspect of the life of the Egyptians. Testimony to this are the monuments left relating to afterlife and worship of Gods. Egypt left a wealth of traceable evidence of its religious beliefs evident in monuments designated for the afterworld, as well as statues and temples for its revered Gods and Goddesses. We are witnesses to the Ancient Egyptian tombs, mortuary temples, mummies, funerary furniture, yet not their palaces! Even great Kings, like Cheops for instance, left nothing but a great tomb; a great pyramid that is considered one of the seven wonders of both ancient and modern world, yet no trace of his palace to be found as one would expect! I look back with gratitude to my ancestors for having founded such a unique culture and civilization that is celebrated all around the world. In this context, I am also very grateful to the Rijksmuseum for the exerted efforts in continuing to organize such exhibition since their foundation in 1818, in addition to its permanent Egyptian collection. Before I conclude, I would like to seize this opportunity to reveal to you the good news that partial opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will take place in the first quarter of 2019. Expected to be a great global museum and one of the largest museums in the world, it will be home to 100.000 artifacts from Egypt’s prehistoric times till Greek and Roman periods, making it the largest in the world dedicated to Egyptology. Hence, it is going to witness for the first time the display of all Tutankhamen’s artifacts gathered in one place which amounts to more than 5000 pieces, in addition to the statue of King Ramsses II. 87 royal statues will adorn its grand staircase as well as large architectural elements, like statues of Kings Khafre, Akhenaton. As it is rather hard to capture in words what the artifacts of this exhibition could express out loud about the grandeur of the Egyptian civilization, I come to wrap up my speech giving time to be taken away in a more depth journey sailing across the richness of the monuments this exhibition has to offer// end quote. Ambassador Amgad Abdel Ghafar, thanked the Dutch government, the Leiden National Museum of Antiquities and all who contributed in making this exhibition possible. The exhibition is expected to run until March 2019. ————— Photography by National Museum of Antiquities        

On 29 November 2018, the Embassy of Hungary presented a “Pálinka Masterclass”at the Hungarian Corner restaurant in The Hague. Kristian Kielmayer, Chairman of the National Pálinka of Excellence Programme presented a special selection of the Hungarian pálinkas, and the distinguished guests discovered the unique taste of apricot, blackcurrant, elderberry, grape, plum, apple and sour cherry pálinka. The event was organized for Dutch experts and gastronomic journalists and opened by Ambassador Kocsis. The distinctive pálinkas were offered by seven Hungarian distilleries: 1 Csepp, Brill, Csalló, Schiszler, Tarpa, Várda, Zsindelyes. After the tasting, traditional Hungarian goulash and strudel were served to guests.

By Nane Paraiso. On Friday 12th of October, Sonia Meijer was invited to speak at the graduation ceremony for International Baccalaureate students at Comenius College in Capelleaan den IJssel. Last year ex Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was the key-note speaker, this year in the light of diversity, Comenius College decided to invite a charismatic and inspirational person from the Corps Diplomatic. It was a special evening since the students graduated with the highest marks in the Netherlands. The evening started with a dinner for parents, graduates and teachers. Immediately after, the graduates had to wear their beautiful caps and gowns with a royal blue tassel. The valedictorian Evan Pridmore (a Canadian / American native) who currently studies art history in the UK brought us back to memory lane and with self-deprecating humour reminisced the joy and hardships of the International Baccalaureate programme. After some giggles and melancholic reflective thoughts the master of ceremony announced the Honoray Consul of El Salvador as key-note speaker. Ms. Sonia Meijer began her speech by telling the freshly graduated students “how honoured” she was in taking part of the celebration. The auditorium was filled by emotions when she disclosed on her own life story and career path in the diplomatic world moving from El Salvador to Brasil, Uruguay and of course the Netherlands. In addition Ms. Meijer commended the parents and teachers for their hard work in developing and raising adolescents into global citizens who aspire to travel the world whilst expanding their horizon. Moreover her motto and the message she conveyed that one needs “to dream big dreams” was extremely inspiring for the entire audience. Not only did she shed a light on the challenges one might face in life but also elaborated on the fact that traveling is quintessential to one’s life journey; “sometimes you’ll gain more knowledge through intercultural relationships than from plain knowledge in books.” The poignant, heart-warming, motivational and benevolent speech ended on a positive note that when we embark on a new journey we’ll explore the world and view it from different perspectives. Perhaps some students would choose a career in the diplomatic world and if they aspire this, by working hard and with an open mind, these dreams could become reality. After a musical intermezzo by other talented IB-students, teachers and tutors gave their speech. In general, Comenius College and especially the IB-programme fosters knowledgeable, inquisitive, balanced, risk-taking, caring and open minded people in order to create a better and more peaceful world. ————– The author is a IB Diploma Programme teacher and golf teacher.

The seventeenth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened today at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague, The Netherlands. From 5 to 12 December 2018, States Parties to the Rome Statute, the Court’s founding treaty, observer States, invited States, international and regional organizations and representatives from civil society will discuss key challenges facing the Statute, as it is turning 20 this year. States Parties will also make important decisions and adopt resolutions on key issues pertaining to the functioning of the Court and the Trust Fund for Victims, including in relation to their respective budgets, and on cooperation. “At this landmark anniversary that naturally leads us to introspection, review and reflection, we must move beyond making aspirational, grandiose statements in international fora such as this one, beyond adopting resolutions and declarations, to more concrete action”, said H.E. O-Gon Kwon, President of the Assembly of States Parties. “The Court is indeed moving forward, but it can successfully do so only with the support of this family, the Rome Statute family. The time for action is now. ” Addressing the Assembly for the first time as ICC President, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji called for continued support: “it is right and necessary for States Parties acting alone and collectively to defend the Court at all times. In doing so, they create the space the Court needs to operate with independence.” Noting the incalculable cost of atrocities that cause immense devastation and pain that can last for generations, and that “at $1.7 trillion, the world’s annual military spending is roughly ten thousand times larger than the budget of the ICC”, President Eboe-Osuji also emphasised that “investment in justice, such as is administered in this Court, is an investment in the peaceful and stable future we want for our shared humanity.” ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda provided an overview of the activities of her Office in the past year, from further ‘institutional’ enhancements to preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecutions, highlighting successes and challenges faced.  Notwithstanding these inherent challenges, the Prosecutor reaffirmed her principled and unyielding commitment and that of her Office to advance the independent and impartial mandate of the Office of the Prosecutor under the Rome Statute. “Together with my dedicated staff, we have been consistently focused on our mission: the effective investigation and prosecution of the Rome Statute crimes so as to fight impunity and contribute to the prevention of such crimes, with the hopes of ultimately responding to the suffering of victims and affected communities”, she stated. “We will continue to do so with unshaken resolve, commitment and utmost integrity, undeterred in the face of formidable challenges”, the Prosecutor added.

H.E. Mr Motoo Noguchi, the departing Board Chair of the Trust Fund for Victims, stated: “First, the importance of assistance mandate [of the Fund] remains unchanged even if the reparations mandate has started in full operation. Second, it is important to make the reparations proceedings simple and fast so that the reparations proceedings won’t be a physical and mental burden for victims or unnecessarily raise their expectations.”