By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters Dr Mohammad Al-Jassar inaugurated on Monday an exhibition of the Palestinian Heritage Center in the presence of Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub at the Women's Cultural and Social Society. The exhibition is part of the Palestinian Cultural Week in Kuwait, which includes various activities and events including art exhibitions, musical nights and seminars to introduce the public to Palestinian culture.

The exhibition was attended by many ambassadors and senior officials. Tahboub told Kuwait Times the exhibition coincides with Kuwait's National and Liberation Day celebrations. "These kinds of events are very important to the Palestinian cause, especially since culture is one of the most important weapons in order to promote the Palestinian cause, as the Zionist entity is trying to steal anything that has to do with culture. We are trying to protect our culture through these exhibitions worldwide," he said.

Officials tour the exhibit and browse a selection of the traditional products displayed.

President of the Jordan Office of the Palestinian Heritage Center Maryam Jabr told Kuwait Times this exhibition has been held twice a year for the last 57 years in Kuwait, and aims to preserve Palestinian heritage, especially since heritage is an essential part of the Palestinian identity. "Every time we hold this exhibition in Kuwait, we receive a large number of visitors of all nationalities and great support from the Kuwaiti community and the government. We are pleased and thankful to them. I would like to congratulate Kuwait on its National and Liberation Day," she said.

"We are a center based in Jordan, but we hold activities in Kuwait, too. We are blessed that the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters kicked off the Palestinian Cultural Week with our exhibition," said Faten Abu-Ghazaleh, Volunteer at the Palestinian Culture Center. "Also, we are pleased with the visit of Palestinian photographer Tarek Al-Bakri, who tells stories about Palestinian homes, who came from Jerusalem. There are four other events other than this activity," she added. The exhibit will be held from Feb 13-16.

Palestinian embroidery

Palestinian embroidery using needle and silk thread is a manifestation of the Palestinian identity as it has evolved over the ages. An age-old art, all Palestinian women, young and old, spend hours embroidering their trousseaus, dresses, shawls and cushions. Using geometric shapes at first, and then evolving to depicting images from nature surrounding them, the dresses are famous for their flowery designs and bold natural colors of indigo and red. Symbols of the ubiquitous cypress trees surrounding the orange groves, roses, jasmine and the famous olive tree are typical motifs in these dresses.

The exhibition includes a beautiful collection of textile-based traditional handmade cross-stitch pieces, as well as Hebron pottery, posters and books about Palestine in both English and Arabic. It aspires to reaffirm the Palestinian national identity by its handicrafts and support education and families.

Palestinian Culture Center

The Palestinian Culture Center is a non-profit organization established in Jordan in 1993 and which holds many exhibitions in Kuwait. It aims to preserve the rich heritage and culture of Palestine, help empower women and their families in refugee camps become economically independent, and sustain needy Palestinians in their homeland and in the diaspora.

The Palestinian Culture Center has worked to increase the salaries of the 550 or so women who do the embroidery work as well as pay for their transportation from the camps. It motivates the ladies by granting bonuses for excellent quality work. It also provides support to Palestinians in the homeland by providing financial aid to needy families, healthcare and university scholarships.

Some of the center's accomplishments included support of some of the vital institutions such as Al-Maqased Hospital in Jerusalem, which was established in 1968 with substantial financial support from Kuwait. The center is also working on providing the necessary financing of the water desalination project in Gaza for producing potable water and assisting Gaza hospitals that were bombarded by the Zionist entity, such as Al-Shifa Hospital, in producing and storing oxygen for medical purposes.