Ten Countries Reach Agreement on Development of Theater as Common Cultural Medium

The representatives of ten countries of West Asia signed a memorandum of understanding in their evening meeting today after having the final consultation in Tehran's Ferdowsi Hotel in the morning, irantheater.ir reported. The participants also singled out the meeting as the beginning path for development of theater as common cultural language among the regional nations.

They also agreed on holding regular meetings to evaluate whether the targets of the memorandum of understanding achieved as well as grounds for development.

The memorandum of understanding reads; theater as common language and proper field for cultural exchange is a medium, playing an important role in consolidation and exchange of good human values. The participating countries of the meeting will commit to exert proper and effective efforts to achieve targets of the memorandum of understanding and pave the ground for consolidation among theater artists through exchanging knowledge and experiences and preparing economic opportunities for theater troupes and art institutes.

The countries will commit to set up an art center for group theater activities within the framework of an international art and culture institution and body.

The countries will commit to pave the ground for exchanging theater works through public performance and participation in theater festivals of each countries.

The countries will commit to hold an international biennial for marketing theater production of West Asian and North African countries.

The countries will commit to pave the ground for educational and pedagogical cooperation, long- and short-term programs for performing arts including holding workshops and educational courses…

The countries will commit to exchange information and knowledge and produce written theater products through organizing art/academic seminars, translation of plays and academic books and academic articles.

The three-day Meeting of General Directors of Performing Arts of West Asian Countries closed today in Tehran. Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance hosted the meeting.

The meeting was participated by Mehdi Shafiei (secretary and head of the meeting and director general of the Dramatic Arts Center), Mehrdad Rayani-Makhsous (international director of the Dramatic Arts Center and moderator of the meeting), Algismat Lalayev (Azerbaijan's director of musical performances), Ahcene Talilani, (Algeria's supreme representative of culture minister), Sayed Mansoor Rahmani (general director of national theater of Afghanistan information and culture ministry), Ahmed Hasan Mousa al-Saedi (Iraq's art counselor of cinema and theater of ministry of culture and tourism), Ali Farhat (Lebanon's theater director of culture ministry), Khalid Omar Ahmed al Shanfari (Oman's head of Salasse theater), Muhammad Ayoub Jamali (Pakistan's national council of the arts and deputy director of performing arts division), Saad Yousef Bourschai (Qatar's head of theater office of culture and sport ministry), Zoher Ramadan (Syria's head of art unity) and Sami Nasri (the representative of Tunisia ministry of culture and head of dramatic arts centers of two provinces).