Egypt organizes 'Africa Week 2018' at UNESCO

PARIS - 22 May 2018: Egypt’s permanent delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has organized “Africa Week 2018” that kicked off on Tuesday and is set to run until Friday at the organization’s headquarters in Paris.

Egyptian Ambassador to France and its permanent delegate to UNESCO Ihab Badawy launched the event that is held under the theme “Intangible Heritage: Joy and Pride of Africa”.

The Egyptian ambassador, who is also the head of the organizing committee, delivered the opening statement, in which he said that the African weeks at the UNESCO have become, throughout the ages, a key cultural event not only to highlight the African treasures but mainly to further raise awareness of the other UNESCO groups and get them to know more about Africa.

Badawy expressed hope that more African files would be put on the agenda of the intangible culture in the coming years as well as to be included as part of the “good” practices aiming to preserve such heritage.

During the opening ceremony, Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay inspected the Egyptian pavilion to get acquainted with the Pharaonic souvenirs, traditional customs and handicrafts.

For a week, the Africa group of UNESCO, through various activities and festivities highlight the richness of the heritage and cultural diversity of Africa. Exhibitions, conferences, film screenings, gastronomy and many other activities are included in the event.