The Diplomat
Under the auspices of the Diplomatic Mission of the Arab League in Spain, on Tuesday 13 June, the Círculo Intercultural Hispano Árabe (CIHAR) held its ninth Annual Meeting at Casa Árabe in Madrid.
Abdo Tounsi, president of the Circle, welcomed all the guests, who posed for a photocall before entering Casa Árabe’s Ambassadors’ Lounge. The president of CiHAR was accompanied by his board of directors, headed by Juan Martos, Nour Larbi and Victoria Porras.
The event was attended by numerous diplomats and authorities. Of particular note was the presence of the ambassadors of the Arab League, Malek Twal; of Palestine, Husni Abdel Wahed; of Yemen, Aws Alawd, along with the former ambassador of the Arab League, Bashar Jalil Yaghi. Diplomats from Kuwait, Mohammad Alshohomi, Sudan, Israa Bakhiet, Iraq, Haider Swadi, and Tunisia, Akrem Elaatar, also participated in the CIHAR Annual Meeting. Representing the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport was Elena Vázquez.
In addition, many members of the Congress of Arab and Ibero-American Hispanists, which was held from 12 to 17 June in Madrid and La Rioja, with Hispanists from many parts of the Arab world and Latin America, also attended.
The speeches were based on Arab culture and literature in Spain, with reference to interculturality as a vehicle for bridging the gap between the two cultures, Arab and Hispanic.
The CIHAR 2023 Gold Medals were awarded, in the category of entities, to the Tribunal de las Aguas de la Vega de Valencia, for its work in the conservation of the Andalusian irrigation systems in the Vega de Valencia, maintaining the objectives with which the tribunal was created in the Andalusian period. And also the Fundación Asamblea de Ciudadanos y Ciudadanas (FACM), for its magnificent work in creating a network of citizens of the Mediterranean, for dialogue for peace and respect for diversity.
Likewise, in the category of individuals, the awards went to María Isabel Romero Arias, for her constant work in highlighting the Andalusian heritage and its historical role in coexistence and socio-cultural and scientific progress; José María Martín Civantos, for his work in highlighting the Andalusian heritage, especially the ecological one, by restoring the irrigation channels and involving new generations in his projects; and Isabel Fernández Sánchez, for her work in promoting, directing and writing the script for the documentary Los Constructores de Alhambra (The Builders of the Alhambra). With a special mention to the entire documentary team; and, finally, to Houssam Hammoumi, for his work in disseminating Hispano-Arabic and Andalusian music, giving classes, forming groups and carrying out musical fusion research.
