Jordan: Exhibition Entitled "About Culture in Jordan" Gathers Tens of Cultural Institutions and Groups
Apr 2016The “About Culture in Jordan” exhibition ran from April 10 to 12 in a hangar in Ras al-Ain in Amman, Jordan, supported by Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, the Amman Governorate, and the Jordanian Ministry of Culture. It was organised and launched by the Jordanian branch of the Cultural Policy Group.
The exhibition created a collective space running over the course of three days, during which participants and audience moved between showcases of the work that cultural institutions and creators undertook in Jordan.
Ra'ad Ibrahim, the coordinator for Cultural Policy in the Arab Region said that “The exhibition showcases the strategies, plans, and cultural products—independent and official—with the aims of creating a living cultural map that describes part of the cultural scene in Jordan which seeks to describe and study the country.” This interactive exhibition allowed visitors to directly contact creators, and created a network amongst the creators themselves. It also formed the basis of phase two of the program: launching an all-encompassing atlas on culture in Jordan.
The exhibition also included an open discussion panel organised by the news website 7iber. One contribution, entitledWhat Cultural Identity Does the Official Institution Intend to Consolidate? saw the participation of Jeryes Samawi—former Minister of Culture and Jerash Festival Director— and Sarah Qudah, chief editor and culture editor at 7iber, plus poet and writer Mahmoud Al Zeyoudiand composer and musician Yacoub Abu Ghosh.
The panel, which took place in the Ras Al Ain Galleria on April 12, 2016, addressed a multitude of questions: what role do official cultural institutions play in Jordan? What cultural identity is being consolidated through their support? Does Jordanian cultural policy launch through supporting an open cultural policy, celebrating the diversity of culture? Or do we reinforce a cultural identity based on exclusion?
