November 7, 2021/ Socotra Online
Reporting and Photography: Ibrahim Youssef + Mohammed bin Muhaimid + Said Bou Wazir
Last Thursday evening, the Sultan Ali bin Isa bin Afrar Heritage Festival was launched in Socotra Governorate, with the support of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, in coordination with the office of the Ministry of Culture.
The opening of the festival witnessed a large presence presented by the first representative of the province, Raid Al-Juraibi, the head of the Transitional Council, Raafat Al-Thaqali, Sultan Ali bin Issa bin Afrar, the director of the Culture Office Omar Qabalan, the police director, Brigadier General Ali Al-Dexami, and the general managers of the Hadiboh, Qalansiyah and Abdul-Kuri districts.
The month-long festival included several traditional art galleries, the Socotra customs and traditions, the Socotra poet competition for the children category, as well as a display of handicrafts made from palm fronds, as well as pottery that was used in the past to save water, cups, incense burners and everything related to human life in the past.
The festival also displayed tools and equipment for the fisheries and agricultural sectors to familiarize the festival visitors with them and the development it witnessed in light of the continuous support provided by Khalifa Foundation.
The University of the Socotra Archipelago and the Socotra Institute for Training and Consultation presented academic educational programs and rehabilitation and training programs for students in the governorate to raise their scientific competence that helps them achieve their ambitions and suitable job opportunities.
At the opening ceremony, the First Undersecretary of Socotra Governorate, Raid Al-Juraibi, gave a speech in which he stressed the importance of the festival, which contains a huge amount of cultural heritage that has characterized the island since ancient times.
It was worth noting that the festival allows everyone to participate and benefit from the works and events it organizes and helps document this heritage and introduce the new generation to Socotri customs and the lifestyle of their ancestors during the past centuries.
Al-Juraibi valued the support of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Works for the island in various service, vital and entertainment fields, including today the Sultan Ali bin Isa bin Afrar Cultural Heritage Festival, which embodies the history and heritage of the Socotri man.
The head of the local leadership of the Southern Transitional Council of Socotra, Engineer Raafat Al-Thaqali, expressed his happiness at attending the opening of the Sultan Ali Issa bin Afrar Heritage Festival, which included several programs, including the Socotra Poet competition for children, which has an effective impact in preserving the Socotra language and poetry and encourages children to pay attention to this aspect.
Al-Thaqali praised the support of the United Arab Emirates, a state of benevolence and humanity that refuses but to write an epic and developmental, cultural and heritage positions for the people of Socotra… Al-Thaqali called, all the people of the province, to preserve the Socotri language and the authentic heritage of scattering and obliteration, which is important for every Socotra.
Sultan Ali Issa bin Afrar, Head of the Development Committee, praised the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in reviving the heritage of Socotra and preserving it through heritage festivals that are organized under its sponsorship.
The Director General of the Ministry of Culture Office, Omar Qabalan, said it was a pleasure to inaugurate the Sultan Ali Bin Issa Bin Afrar Heritage and Cultural Festival today, which contributed greatly to preserving our heritage, customs and traditions.
Bin Qabalan extended his thanks and gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for standing by the Culture Office in the governorate and for providing opportunities for the people of Socotra in foreign participations in the United Arab Emirates more than once in the cultural and heritage aspects, and thus showing the distinctive and distinctive characteristics of Socotra’s heritage and natural to the outside world.
The opening was attended by a number of local authority leaders, security and military leaders, sheikhs, dignitaries and knowledgeable people of tribes and regions, a large gathering of citizens and visitors to the festival.
