Jordan Times
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Jordanian treasures showcased in
Paris
Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday acted as patron at “The Night of Jordanian
Treasures” in Paris, and met with several UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors on the
occasion of their annual meeting.
“Today, at a time when, too often, humanity is clashing instead of communicating,
we need to promote [a] universal language and indivisible heritage,” said Queen Rania.
Several Jordanian performers were on hand to promote that universal language and showcase
some examples of the Kingdom’s performing arts.
These included pianist and composer Zade Dirani, who performed his original compositions
that blend oriental and contemporary Western influences.
The National Centre of Culture and Art performed “dabkeh,” a community dance to celebrate
weddings and other festive occasions, while the National Music Conservatory presented the
group “Mahabeesh,” which uses the “mehbash,” a tool used to grind coffee, as a percussion instrument.
In addition, the Circassian Folkloric Troup of Al Ahli Club performed the “qafa,” a royal
dance and the “islameh,” a dance celebrating life and liberty.
Queen Rania has said before that in order for different cultures to understand each other,
they must let one and other into their homes, and see things firsthand. Such cultural awareness
nights serve to introduce members of different communities to some of Jordan’s cultural treasures.
“Located at the crossroads of East and West, and in the cradle of humanity’s great religions,
we [in Jordan] have carved out a special role as a link between regions and cultures. We know
tradition and modernity can both find purchase in our soil, and we are eager to bring the world
to Jordan, and bring Jordan to the world,” the Queen said.
Her Majesty thanked all the UNESCO ambassadors and representatives for their efforts “‘to build
peace in the minds of men and to foster dialogue, mutual respect and understanding among the
peoples of the earth.”
Some of the ambassadors in attendance included Princess Firyal, Sheikh Ghassan Shaker, Bahia
Hariri, Princess Lalla Meryem and Mehriban Aliyeva, the first lady of Azerbaijan.
The Queen also toured an exhibition featuring traditional and contemporary handicrafts produced
by the Jordan River Foundation, as well as photographs of Jordan by Rana Safadi and Dana Khrais,
who have had their work displayed locally and internationally.
The cultural evening was organised by JRF, the Jordanian embassy in France, and the Jordanian
delegation to UNESCO.
Also on Tuesday, Queen Rania attended a signing ceremony between the JRF and UNESCO, as well as
a JRF fundraiser, in Paris.
Under the memorandum of understanding, which seeks to advance early educational practices in
the Kingdom, JRF and UNESCO committed to kickstart an initiative to identify projects in the
area of child protection, reinforce teacher training and school management, and enhance curricula
in formal and nonformal education.
The two parties will also work together to raise awareness about the Early Childhood Care and
Education policy, child rights, and child safety.
Queen Rania, who is chairperson of JRF, has been active in expanding Early Childhood Development
in Jordan, promoting access as well as gender parity in schools, and encouraging excellence in education.
Her Majesty also attended a JRF fundraising dinner, the proceeds of which will go to the
foundation’s Safe Schools Project, a national initiative that seeks to turn schools into
safer environments for learning by raising awareness about abuse and child rights, with a
special focus on protection, self-expression and participation, and developing school rules
and policies that reflect these rights.
The project will also promote school-community partnerships, offer capacity building courses
for teachers, counsellors and administrators, and encourage children’s active learning and participation
in school.
JRF will design and implement the project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and other
relevant stakeholders for public primary schools. The initiative will include the design and piloting
of the project which will then be integrated in the ministry’s system and disseminated to schools
across the country. A monitoring and evaluation system for the implementation and dissemination of
the project will be in place to ensure the effectiveness of the programme and to measure its impact.
During her Paris visit, the Queen also met with UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura and
discussed cooperation between Jordan and UNESCO since the country joined the organisation in 1950.