Text: Juan David Latorre. Photos: CIHAR
Last Friday, the Spanish-Arab Intercultural Circle (CIHAR) held its 2021 Annual Meeting and the CIHAR 2020 Gold Medals Award Ceremony in Casa Árabe’s Ambassadors’ Lounge. The event was attended by the ambassadors of the Arab League, Bachar Yaghi, and of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Danka Savic.
Cristina Juanrranz, Casa Árabe’s Deputy Director and Programming Coordinator, welcomed the attendees and award winners as hostess of the event, before passing the floor to Abdo Tounsi, president of CIHAR, who said: “As president of this organisation which has been in existence for six and a half years, I would like to emphasise that our slogan: A project, an objective and a trajectory – INTERCULTURALITY, is becoming increasingly important in our activities and in those of our collaborators. Today we are gathered here to listen and learn from different personalities from the diplomatic and artistic fields about Hispano-Arabic art, past and present. An art that marked and continues to mark trends in all cultural facets”.
CIHAR’s vice-president, Nour Larbi, then took the floor. Today we are gathered here,” said the vice-president, “to award and recognise the work of different artists, personalities and institutions that show their commitment to Hispano-Arabic art in the present and work to maintain and show its richness in the future”.
Hanan Saleh, assistant to the presidency of CIHAR, indicated that “with the initiative to declare the year 2021, YEAR OF THE ARABIC LANGUAGE, we want to make known the essence of the Arabic language, not only the cultural and literary essence, but the current meaning of the Arabic language to spread peace, justice, human rights, technological and scientific progress. Arabic can no longer represent the Andalusian past as a golden and irretrievable dream, nor the barbarism to which we have been subjected in the last decade, because we are the present and the future. This is the idea we want to convey to all those who study the Arabic language in Spain”.
Finally, the Ambassador of the Arab League, Bachar Yagui, addressed the audience, saying: “Once again, I feel very honoured and very happy to participate in this important event. CIHAR, today is a solid and active foundation in strengthening Spanish-Arab cultural relations, and a beacon that shines a light on the common Spanish-Arab history”.
Finally, the CIHAR 2020 Gold Medals were awarded to the artists Ana Crespo, Diego Moya and Rachid Kuraïchi, and to the entities Centro de Estudios Sobre el Madrid Islámico, Fundación Euroárabe de Altos Estudios and TeleMadrid – Programa Desmontando Madrid andalusí, in recognition of their work in showing their commitment to Hispano-Arabic art in the present and working to maintain and showcase its richness in the future.
