By Imane Dernaika Kamali
Tripoli, January 23 2015 (INPS Japan) – Under the patronage of the Indian and Japanese embassies in Lebanon, and in collaboration with Beirut Arab University, Tripoli Branch, Elite Center of Culture and Education organized, on the evening of Saturday, January 14, 2023, a huge and pioneering cultural event entitled SKY DREAM that was a splendid wedding of cultures, colors, and wonderful artistic paintings that won the admiration of the audience, whose number exceeded all expectations after filling the BAU ‘s theater and auditoriums, all the way to the external reception hall.
The event was presented by the Japanese band “ Dreamers Japan in Lebanon” , led by its president, Ms. Eiko Minami, a teacher of Japanese language at the Japanese Cultural Center at Saint Joseph University, with the professional artist and teacher of Indian dance at the Embassy of India in Lebanon, Mr. Deepesh Hoskiri who presented with Ms. Seiko Sugita , the responsible official specializing in social development in the United Nations agencies, and other students, the most wonderful dances of the art of Bharatnatyam. Bharatnatyam is the oldest Indian classical art and was classified in ancient texts and temple carvings dating back between the sixth and ninth centuries, as one of the finest performing arts in the middle of the first millennium.
Through this work three ancient cultures, India, Japan and Lebanon, united to create awesomeness and assert the band’s firm belief in a power that transcends the arts to connect people’s souls beyond the boundaries of space and time.
The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the State of India Dr. Suhail Ajaz Khan and the Ambassador of the State of Japan Masayuki Magushi represented by the Second Secretary Ms. Minami Kunetomo, and Ms. Gretta Noun the head of cultural department in the Japanese embassy, the Ambassador of South Korea and his wife Mr. & Mrs. Park, the Head of Mission for Kazakhstan H.E. Yerzan Kalikinov , many diplomats, ministers and deputies, as well as presidents of universities and hospitals and representatives of cultural, scientific and religious bodies and municipalities, as well as a large crowd of students.
These honorable dignitaries and guests were all welcomed by the President of the University, Professor Amr Jalal Al-Adawy, along with the Vice President, Professor Khaled Baghdadi, the Secretary-General, Dr. Omar Houry, and the deans of the university and its academic and administrative families, as well as by the President of Elite Center of Culture & Education Dr. Imane Dernaika Kamali and Mr. Amer Kamali.
Professor Amr Jalal Al-Adawy:
The ceremony opened with the national anthems, then the speech of the University President, Professor Amr Jalal Al-Adawy, who welcomed the attendees, indicating that “openness to all cultures is one of the aspirations of Beirut Arab University to enrich its human culture”, and that this ceremony constitutes “ a unique touch in shedding light on community issues with this distinctive creative character”, and he pointed out that “this work is considered a valuable addition to the cultural and artistic scene.”
Dr. Imane Dernaika Kamali
She addressed the public and stated that the title and the topic “ Sky Dream” are very convenient with what we badly need in Lebanon, as we are passing today through a series of successive troubles and crises, which may require a “ Dream of Heaven” to turn our dark days into light. She continued: “The project of our country‘s salvation cannot but be in essence a project of culture. Lebanon needs a Policy led by the horse of Culture, and culture cannot realize itself and reach a state of maturity unless it is able to relate to other cultures in a comprehensive and interactive sense. This is what we worked and we are still working on it at the Elite Center for Culture and Education, which we wanted to be a cultural interface of the city of Tripoli, and a link between different civilizations and cultures. She also thanked Beirut Arab University, Indian and Japanese embassies for their cooperation .
Dr. Suheil Ajaz Khan
The Ambassador of the State of India, Dr. Sohail Ajaz Khan, said, “Lebanon and India have always enjoyed friendly and cordial relations since the inception of diplomatic relations in the early fifties of the last century, and these relations were based on mutual respect and common denominators that include, among others, the communities multicultural and democratic traditions.
Then the ambassador honored Dr. Ugarit Younan, who won the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award for Promoting Ghandi Values outside India. He also honored Dr. Imane Dernaika Kamali, a friend of the Indian Embassy in Lebanon, has previously cooperated with the Embassy in promoting Indian culture and strengthening friendly bilateral relations between India and Lebanon.
Then after the speeches, there was the show which included a 12-panel of dances and songs that recreates the mythological story of Amabiko, a Japanese mythical creature that carried a message from heaven to cure disease during a cholera pandemic, in the 17th century. From here, the idea of the theatrical show came after the Covid pandemic, to spread hope and positivity to the Lebanese and the world through this artistic creativity.
On the sidelines of the show , there was an exhibition that included a pavilion for the Indian and Japanese embassies, displaying brochures, magazines, posters and traditional costumes of the two countries, in addition to a pavilion of Lebanese art which included paintings about different Lebanese tourist towns and decorations of the old heritage buildings of Tripoli.
* Imane Dernaika Kamali is President of Elite Center of Culture and Education, a University Instructor and a Political Researcher