It is a milestone year for the Noor Al Hussein Foundation's
Performing Arts Centre, as it celebrates the 25th year
of convening the Arab Children Congress (ACC).
On the playbill starting with today's opening ceremony at
Al Hussein Sports City are names such as Amr Musa, secretary general
of the Arab League, pop singer Ricky Martin who is the director of the
Ricky Martin Foundation, as well as Tunisian singer Latifa Al Tunisia.
These newsmakers and celebrities will all gather to spend
a week with the €C's participating children, ages 14 to 16,
for inspirational dialogue, workshops and other activities, to emphasise
the importance of allowing children to unleash their creativity.
According to Abla Al Shaar, a 1991 participant, this creative
focus demonstrates that the "ACC doesn't underestimate students,
but rather allows them to achieve as much as adults do."
The ACC, which has expanded in size through the years, is
key in sparking self-confidence in the children, according to Ali Malkawi,
a participant of the first Arab Children Congress in 1980. Malkawi is
a 1989 graduate of the Jordan University for Science and Technology.
He continued his education in the US and obtained a masters and Ph.D.
in architecture. Today he is an associate professor of environmental
technology and computation at the University of Pennsylvania.
The ACC programme, which includes visits to historic sites
around Jordan, will mainly include activities in the performing arts
department, such as dance, music, and acting workshops and classes.
Dina Dajani, one of the organisers said, "We are aiming to teach
and foster ties through art."
The aim of the conference includes instilling pride in the
children of Arab heritage, as well as understanding the differences between
different Arab countries. With last year's introduction of non-Arab countries
to the programme, the ACC is also seeking to introduce these children
to the facets that make up Arab heritage, and to advocate cross-cultural
understanding.
When asked what she considered the greatest achievement of
the conference, director of both the ACC and the NHF Performing Arts
Centre Lina Al Tal, recalled Maryam Alawi, a participant from the rural
and underprivileged area of Mafraq. Alwai, Tal said, was inspired and
motivated by the theatrical aspect of the ACC. She wrote a play and used
personal expenses to bring her performers to Amman. She later studied
drama in Syria, and will be graduating next year.
The ACC continues throughout the week and will feature a
musical performance by the Jordan Armed Forces Orchestra, dressage of
horses by the Public Security Cavalry and songs performed
source: Jordan Times
