By Abdullah Boqus
KUALA LAMPUR, May 20 (KUNA) -- University of Malaya honored Kuwait on Friday for having sponsored the Third International Arabic Language Festival.
This is the second time that Kuwait, represented by its embassy in Kuala Lampur, has sponsored this festival in which a number of Arab countries participated, said Kuwait's ambassador to Malaysia Saad Al-Asousi, in a press statement to KUNA.
Kuwait's part in the festival consisted, among other things, in displaying numerous Kuwaiti publications, periodicals, and photographs showing various stages and developments of the Kuwaiti society and culture over the years, said the ambassador.
This year, the festival fostered several activities, such as competitions in Arabic poetry, Arabic oratory, Arabic calligraphy, and short story writing, he said.
Stressing that Kuwait devotes great attention to disseminating the Arabic language and culture, the ambassador made note of the fact that honoring Kuwait at the festival dovetails aptly with the selection of Kuwait by the Islamic, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (ISESCO) as the capital of Islamic culture for 2016.
Festival director Dr. Ashraf Ishraqi told KUNA he appreciated Kuwait's sponsorship of the festival this year, which, he said, brings Kuwaitis and Malaysians closer together, noting that a number of Malaysian officials and academics have the distinction of graduating from Kuwaiti schools and universities including deputy foreign minister Dato' Sri Reezal Merican who officially opened the festival earlier today.
The festival, organized jointly by the University of Malaya and Arab embassies in Malaysia, seeks to make the Malaysian society more aware of the significance of the Arabic language in view of the fact that many of them are Muslims. In addition to that, the festival affords both Malaysians and Arabs the chance to interact and learn more about one another. (end) aab.ajs