BAGHDAD, April 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Abdul Amir al-Hamdani reopened on Monday the al-Mansour Theatre in the heavily fortified Green Zone in downtown Baghdad after more than 15 years of closure, Xinhua news agency reported.
In his speech on behalf of Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, al-Hamdani said “today we are opening this cultural lung in Baghdad to send messages to the world that Baghdad has returned to culture after the return of security and stability.”
“Culture is the connecting bridge, which is the wide space, and the ministry is supportive to all cultural projects,” al-Hamdani said in the reopening ceremony.
“It is true that the battle against the terrorist Daesh organisation is over, but it began intellectually and the ministry’s goal is to fight this extremist ideology with art, literature, music and legitimate theatre,” al-Hamdani said.
The ceremony included a performance by the Iraqi Symphony Orchestra, and a performance by the Iraqi Fashion House for the fashion of ancient Mesopotamia, as well as fireworks in the Grand Celebrations Square, which it has been renamed as Akitu Square starting from now on.
The name Akitu is very ancient. It is the New Year’s Day for the Acadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Chaldeans, and the feast begins in the first month of the year, which is in April.
— NNN-XINHUA
