Visit to Cuba : HE Er. Darwish S. Ahmed Al Shebani
Date: December 18, 2023
Author: Yimel DÃaz Malmierca
Subject: Plans to promote the study of Arabic in Cuba
Media: Trabajadores
His Excellency Darwish S. Ahmed Alshebani, chairman of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF), has arrived in Cuba as ambassador of Arab culture and language. The prominent representative of Qatari diplomacy seeks to strengthen his country’s bilateral ties with Latin America and the Caribbean.
His visit began on December 14 and ran until December 19. Mr. Darwish presided over the main event of the World Arabic Language Day, organized by the Arab Union of Cuba and the coordinators of the Green Zone Foundation in Cuba and the region.
GZF is a private non-profit institution created in May 2021 in Doha, Qatar. Its objective is to build bridges of communication between the Arab world and other countries through linguistic exchange and cultural communication. GZF also aims to counteract erroneous intercultural stereotypes and convey a positive image that promotes understanding and respect between peoples.
The GZF initiative aims to “reach the hearts of young people in the Latin American and Caribbean region, and encourage them to get to know the Arab culture and language, in an enjoyable and simple way”. In addition, it intends to “develop a future plan leading to the creation of a broader and deeper cooperation platform, in order to implement cultural and academic projects and events that benefit both parties, for mutual cultural knowledge,” according to a note sent to this editor.
The president of the GZF, Mr. Darwish, accompanied by the coordinator for Latin America, Mrs. Omeyma Shiakh-Eldin, held a meeting with the president of the Arab Union of Cuba, YaimÃĐ Proveyer. On this occasion, an agreement was signed to expand the Arab-Spanish exchange project, as well as to promote the learning of the Arabic language, with emphasis on teaching the younger generations.
Mr. Darwish was also received by Deputy Minister DÃĐborah Rivas Saavedra and Sergio Espinosa, specialist of the Economic and Trade Policy Directorate, both from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment; as well as by Moraima Orozco Delgado, specialist of International Relations of the Ministry of Education.
During these meetings, the diplomat and president of GZD highlighted Qatar’s interest in strengthening bilateral ties in areas such as tourism, science and biotechnology, as well as the Foundation’s intention to establish cultural exchanges between Arab and Latin American and Caribbean youth.
“Culture is the real and most important investment,” said Mr. Darwish and called for combating the gap that exists between the Arab world and the Latin American region, for which the first step is to “break the language barrier”.
Mr. Darwish also attended the awards gala and closing ceremony of the 44th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. The event took place in Havana and concluded on December 15, at the iconic Charles Chaplin Cinema.
http://:https://www.trabajadores.cu/20231217/proyectan-potenciar-estudio-del-arabe-en-cuba/?amp=1
Date: December 18, 2023
Response to the article presented in Trabajadores
Subject: Plans to promote the study of Arabic in Cuba
Media: Radio Cadena Agramonte
https://www.cadenagramonte.cu/noticia/es/123275/proyectan-potenciar-estudio-del-arabe-en-cuba-fotos
Date: December 17, 2023
Response to the article presented in Trabajadores
Subject: His Excellency Mr. Darwish S. Ahmed Alshebani visits Cuba
Radio: Radio Ciudad del Mar
His Excellency Darwish S. Ahmed Alshebani, chairman of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF), has arrived in Cuba as ambassador of Arab culture and language. The prominent representative of
Qatari diplomacy seeks to strengthen his country’s bilateral ties with Latin America and the Caribbean.
His visit began on December 14 and ran until December 19. Mr. Darwish presided over the main event of the World Arabic Language Day, organized by the Arab Union of Cuba and the coordinators of the Green Zone Foundation in Cuba and the region.
GZF is a private non-profit institution created in May 2021 in Doha, Qatar. Its objective is to build bridges of communication between the Arab world and other countries through linguistic exchange and cultural communication. GZF also aims to counteract erroneous intercultural stereotypes and convey a positive image that promotes understanding and respect between peoples.
The GZF initiative aims to “reach the hearts of young people in the Latin American and Caribbean region, and encourage them to get to know the Arab culture and language, in an enjoyable and simple way”. In addition, it intends to “develop a future plan leading to the creation of a broader and deeper cooperation platform, in order to implement cultural and academic projects and events that benefit both parties, for mutual cultural knowledge,” according to a note sent to this editor.
The president of the GZF, Mr. Darwish, accompanied by the coordinator for Latin America, Mrs. Omeyma Shiakh-Eldin, held a meeting with the president of the Arab Union of Cuba, YaimÃĐ Proveyer. On this occasion, an agreement was signed to expand the Arab-Spanish exchange project, as well as to promote the learning of the Arabic language, with emphasis on teaching the younger generations.
Mr. Darwish was also received by Deputy Minister DÃĐborah Rivas Saavedra and Sergio Espinosa, specialist of the Economic and Trade Policy Directorate, both from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment; as well as by Moraima Orozco Delgado, specialist of International Relations of the Ministry of Education.
During these meetings, the diplomat and president of GZD highlighted Qatar’s interest in strengthening bilateral ties in areas such as tourism, science and biotechnology, as well as the Foundation’s intention to establish cultural exchanges between Arab and Latin American and Caribbean youth.
“Culture is the real and most important investment,” said Mr. Darwish and called for combating the gap that exists between the Arab world and the Latin American region, for which the first step is to “break the language barrier”.
Mr. Darwish also attended the awards gala and closing ceremony of the 44th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. The event took place in Havana and concluded on December 15, at the iconic Charles Chaplin Cinema.
Date: December 18, 2023
Subject: teleSUR and Qatar’s Green Zone Foundation sign agreement
News Source: teleSUR
The Latin American media multiplatform teleSUR and Qatar’s Green Zone Foundation signed this Sunday in Havana, Cuba, a Framework Collaboration Agreement.
The president of teleSUR, Patricia Villegas MarÃn, explained: “We are a major producer of content in English, Spanish and Portuguese, but we also needed to
make the leap to another part of the world and we have just signed an agreement that will allow us to initially translate our content into Arabic.”
“The idea is that we go step by step, but that we also grow in the production of content in that language and in the distribution to users of that language. Thus, the plan is that today a relevant and important news item on teleSUR will be in the three languages we speak in our region, English, Spanish and Portuguese, and through this agreement it will also be in Arabic. This gives us an enormous possibility to grow and expand our message and in this particular case to the Arab world,” added Villegas MarÃn.
She also stated, “I am very excited to see our content written in that language, produced in that language, and that it reaches the people who speak that extraordinary and beautiful language, who are millions in the world and who today do not have a reliable source of what is happening in our region”.
The president of the Qatar Green Zone Foundation, Darwish Saleh, said, “I come with the idea of promoting the Arabic language, which is part of the Spanish culture. We believe that language is the gateway to cultures, in this case Arab and Latin culture, we want to strengthen regional ties in pursuit of uniting nations.”
“We attach great importance to human development, to the human development of Latin America and the Arab world. And as I have said, language is the best way to achieve this,” he concluded.
In previous days, teleSUR and Brazilian public television EBC ( (Brazilian Communication Company), as well as the Institute of Broadcasting of the State of Bahia (IRDEB), announced a joint production agreement that will allow the exchange of programs and the transmission of audiovisual material between these platforms.
This agreement, signed to strengthen ties of friendship and collaboration, will promote diversity and pluralism in information, as well as the promotion of relevant cultural content in the region.
https://www.telesurtv.net/news/telesur-firma-convenio-colaboracion-20231218-0002.html
Date: December 18, 2023
Author: Yimel DÃaz Malmierca
Subject: Celebration of World Arabic Language Day in Cuba
News Media: Prensa Latina
Today, the purpose of extending ties between the Arabic and Spanish languages through cultural exchange was highlighted at the Arab Union of Cuba (UAC), during the celebration of the World Day of that language.
The ceremony was attended by the president of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF), Darwish Ahmed Alshebani. One of the objectives of the initiative is to build bridges of communication between the Arab world and Latin America.
The event was also attended by the ambassador of the State of Palestine in Cuba, Akram Mohammad, the coordinator of the Second Commission of the National Youth Council of Colombia, Leonardo Villalba, and the president of the UAC, YaimÃĐ Proveyer, among other guests.
In his opening speech, Alshebani stressed the importance of the Arabic language for the cultural diversity of humanity, as it is used daily by some 400 million people around the world.
The ceremony included the presentation of audiovisual material alluding to the celebration, a play by a high school in the capital and the inauguration of the GZF language website.
The occasion also served to award institutions that carry out relevant work in defense of the reality of Arab countries. Among them was the Latin American news agency Prensa Latina, which stands out for its coverage of the international call for an end to the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people.
According to the UAC Facebook page, World Arabic Language Day has been celebrated every December 18 since 2012, commemorating its declaration as an official language of the United Nations 50 years ago today.
https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2023/12/18/celebran-en-cuba-dia-mundial-de-la-lengua-arabe
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Date: December 19, 2023
Subject: Qatari foundation promotes Arabic language teaching in Cuba
Media Center: On Cuba
Darwish S. Ahmed Alshebani, president of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF), took advantage of a visit to the island on occasion of World Arabic Language Day to discuss the issue with the authorities in Cuba.
The celebration of World Arabic Language Day in Cuba on Monday helped promote the teaching of the Arabic language as a way of strengthening cultural ties between Cuba, Latin America and that region of the planet.
On the occasion of the celebration, Mr. Darwish S. Ahmed Alshebani, president of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF) and prominent representative of Qatari public diplomacy, attended the ceremony held at the Arab Union of Cuba (UAC), according to a report by Prensa Latina (PL).
Teaching Arabic
World Arabic Language Day is celebrated every December 18 to commemorate its declaration, exactly 50 years ago, as an official language of the United Nations.
In his speech at the event, Alshebani, who is personally visiting the island, stressed the importance of the Arabic language for the cultural diversity of humanity, since it is used daily by some 400 million people in the world.
The Qatari diplomat held talks with several officials, with the aim of expanding ties between the Arabic and Spanish languages through cultural exchanges.
Arabic-Spanish exchange projects
Accompanied by Omeyma Shiakh-Eldin, GZF Latin America Coordinator, Alshebani exchanged with Moraima Orozco Delgado, Director General of Management and Strategic Directions of the International Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Education.
Alshebani also met with YaimÃĐ Proveyer, president of the UAC. Both institutions signed agreements to promote Arab-Spanish exchange projects, starting with the learning of the Arabic language and emphasizing the teaching of Arabic to the younger generations.
Another exchange took place with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Deborah Rivas, and the director of the Directorate of Policy, Economic and Trade with Africa and the Middle East, Sergio Espinosa. Alshebani learned about the projections and possibilities of exchange that Cuba can establish with the Qatari nation in areas such as tourism, science and biotechnology, among others.
In all the exchanges, the visitor explained that “culture is the true and most important investment” and that closing the gap between the Arab world and the Latin American region is the purpose of the foundation he heads. In this regard, he pointed out that the first step in achieving these objectives would be to break down the language barrier.
Green Zone Foundation is a private institution, with the character of a non-governmental organization, created in May 2021 in Doha, Qatar, with the fundamental purpose of forging ties between nations through the dissemination of Qatari culture, the exchange of artistic expressions and the study of the Arabic language.
Also in Havana, the Green Zone Foundation had signed on Sunday a Framework Collaboration Agreement with the Latin American multiplatform teleSur.
 https://oncubanews.com/cuba/fundacion-qatari-impulsa-la-ensenanza-del-idioma-arabe-en-cuba/
Date: December 19, 2023
Edited by Beatriz Montes de Oca
Title: Celebration of World Arabic Language Day in Cuba
News Source: Radio Habana Cuba
The purpose of extending ties between the Arabic and Spanish languages through cultural exchange was highlighted Monday at the Arab Union of Cuba (UAC), during the celebration of the World Day of that language.
The commemoration was attended by Darwish Ahmed Alshebani, president of the Green Zone Foundation (GZF), an institution whose objectives include building bridges of communication between the Arab world and Latin America.
The event was also attended by Akram Mohammad, ambassador of the State of Palestine in Cuba; Leonardo Villalba, coordinator of the Second Commission of the National Youth Council of Colombia; and YaimÃĐ Proveyer, president of the UAC, among other guests.
Alshebani stressed the importance of the Arabic language for the cultural diversity of humanity, as it is used daily by some 400 million people in the world.
During the ceremony, an audiovisual presentation on the celebration was presented and the GZF linguistic website was inaugurated.
The occasion also served to award institutions that carry out relevant work in defense of the reality of Arab countries, among them the Ibero-American Information Agency Prensa Latina,
stands out for its coverage of the international demand for an end to the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people.
According to the UAC Facebook page, World Arabic Language Day has been celebrated every December 18 since 2012, a date that commemorates its declaration as an official language of the United Nations 50 years ago (Source: PL).Âī
https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/nacionales/342477-arabic-language-world-day-celebrated-in-cuba
Date: December 19, 2023
News Source: Colombian Youth Council Instagram page.
@cnyouth
Last December 18, the second commission of International Cooperation and Strategic Alliances of the National Youth Council was present in the Republic of Cuba, with the representation of the coordinator Leonardo Villalba. The members of this commission achieved the signing of an important project, which
aims to achieve that about a thousand young people can learn the Arabic language for free throughout the national territory.
This project is scheduled to start in January 2024 and from our networks we will provide the information to apply for the call for proposals.
We thank the foundation based in Doha – Qatar, headed by its President Darwish A. and its coordinator in Latin America Omeyma S. who extended the invitation for the signing of the project during the celebration of the Arab week in Havana. From the National Youth Council we will continue to bet on the creation of opportunities.
