Sudan. Land People and Opportunities
From May 29-31, Casa Árabe and the Embassy of Sudan in Spain are dedicating several days of activities to the Sudan, including an economic forum, two round table discussions on tourism and cultural cooperation, films, a night of the country’s folklore and an exhibition.
May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 29
10:00 a.m. Accreditations for the opening session and the Economic Forum
10:30 a.m.: Opening session
Eduardo López Busquets, General Director of Casa Árabe.
Abdelilah Abousen, Director General of the Ministry of Culture of the State of Khartoum.
José Manuel Albares, Assistant Director General of Sub-Saharan Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
Aida Abdelmaguid, the Ambassador of Sudan in Spain.
11:30 a.m.: Speeches by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel García-Margallo, and that of Sudan, Ali Ahmed Karti.
12:30 p.m.: First Spain-Sudan Economic Forum.
Economic and business forum which will examine the economic situation of Sudan, its commercial relations with Spain and the investment and business opportunities which it offers for Spanish companies. The Sudanese delegation will include the presence of the Minister of Investment, Mustafa Osman Ismail, and the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the State of Khartoum, Azhari Khalafalla. Also participating will be the governors of the provinces of Khartoum and the Nile River, representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank of Sudan, and Sudanese businesspeople. Amongst the sectors of interest are the agro-food industry, water and irrigation, energy, renewable energies, construction and infrastructures. Organized with the cooperation of the International CEOE (Confederation of Spanish Business Organizations) and Madrid’s Official Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Capacity limited. To attend the session, which will be held on May 29 from 10:30 a.m. until the closing session at 5:00 p.m., it is essential to sign up in advanced by e-mail (confirmaciones@casaarabe.es) or by calling (915630728). The spaces will be assigned by order of registration.
Thursday, May 30
6:00 p.m.. Round table discussion: Tourism in Sudan: Archeological Gems and the Industry’s Potential.
At this conference, the wealth of Sudan’s archeological and historical legacy will be analyzed, as well as the potential of using their value to promote the development of the country’s tourism industry. With the participation of Mona Hassan Osman, Director General of the Press Relations and Promotion of the Sudanese Tourism Ministry, Ousmane Ndiaye, Regional Director for Africa of the World Tourism Organization, and representatives of Exceltur and the Sudanese Tourism Ministry.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
7:00 p.m.. Round table discussion: Sudan at the Crossroads of the Arab World and Africa: International cultural cooperation and potential for Spanish-Sudanese exchanges.
Sudanese historian Qaisar Musa El Zein will be talking about Sudan’s cultural and social history, and its richness and complexity, which are closely linked with Sudan’s geographic location as a part of both the Arab world and the continent of Africa. After this introduction, a dialogue will take place on the potential for cultural cooperation with the participation of Araceli Sánchez Garrido, from the Cultural Cooperation area of the Directorate General of Cultural and Scientific Relations of the AECID, Rashid Diab, a visual artist and Director of the Dara Gallery cultural center in Khartoum, and Javier Gozálbez, a writer and author of the book El Nilo Azul (The Blue Nile).
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
Friday, May 31
7:30 p.m.. Film screening: Cinema in Sudan: Conversations with Gadalla Gubara, by Frederique Cifuentes (France, 2008, 52 min.). Original language version with Spanish subtitles.
This documentary deals with the career of Sudanese filmmaker Gadalla Gubara (1920-2008), one of African cinema’s pioneers. Through his work, Gubara reveals to us a mysterious and misunderstood Sudan and helps us form part of his life and work, which was worthy of receiving the Prize for Excellence granted by the African Academy of Nigeria in 2006.
Entrance: Ticket sales on the day of the screening, at the Casa Árabe headquarters, one hour before the film begins. Price: 3 euros for general tickets, 2 euros for discounted tickets.
9:00 p.m.: Night of folklore
Concert by the National Folklore Group of Sudan, a testimony to the country’s ethnic richness and diversity, and the unique beauty of its music and dance, with the participation of flutist Hafiz Abdelrahman.
The concert will be accompanied by a show of the different varieties of the zawb, a garment which forms part of Sudan’s traditional clothing, in which women wrap a single piece of printed cloth around their body, in the form of a tunic.
Free entry until capacity is full.
"Creative Sudan" Exhibition
On each of the days dedicated to Sudan and until June 13, the Casa Árabe exhibition hall will be hosting a show of Sudanese art, with works by two generations of contemporary artists: Rashid Diab, Omer Khairy, Dar Al Naim Mubarak Carmona and Hassan Hassouba.
Free entrance. Opening times: Monday-Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Sundays and holidays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
