With the participation of Syria and several Arab and foreign countries, Qatar inaugurated Sunday the second edition of the “Freej Art and Design Festival” at Darb Al Saai in Umm Salal.
According to the Qatar News Agency, the festival features more than 120 artists from 21 countries, including Qatar, Syria, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Japan, Azerbaijan, India, Australia, Spain, Russia, and the Philippines.
The program includes over 12 art exhibitions and 14 workshops, seven of which are international, covering diverse artistic fields.
Regarding Syria’s participation, Minister of Culture Mohammad Yassin al-Saleh told the Qatar News Agency that Syrian artists are taking part in ceramics, sculpture, and photography. He noted that some Syrian photographers had won awards at the Doha Photography Festival, which concluded earlier today.
Al-Saleh stressed that the international cultural movement spearheaded by Qatar’s Ministry of Culture serves as an inspiring model for advancing the artistic scene. He added that Syrian artists’ participation reflects solidarity with their Qatari counterparts, highlighting the deep-rooted fraternal ties between the two nations, built on shared values of freedom, dignity, and pride.
On cultural cooperation, sl-Saleh revealed that collaboration between the Syrian and Qatari Ministries of Culture has never ceased and continues through small, medium, and large-scale projects across various cultural fields.
In a similar statement, Dr. Ghanem bin Mubarak al-Ali, Undersecretary of Qatar’s Ministry of Culture, explained that the festival aims to promote Qatari art while attracting leading artists and institutions both locally and internationally. He noted that this edition features broad participation from over 20 countries, underscoring its international character and cultural diversity.
MHD Ibrahim
