Dubai, November 13th, 2016: Visitors to Global Village, the region's leading multicultural festival park, will this season be able to experience the unique traditions and heritage of Algeria as the park hosts the North African nation for the first time.
The Algeria Pavilion will have 20 separate stalls, many of which will feature new products every month, offering traditional Algerian food and delicacies, uniquely designed fashion items and iconic jewellery. Guests will also be educated about the country's rich culture and history, as a museum has been set up in the centre of the pavilion, featuring photographs of artefacts sourced from Algerian museums.
Algeria's diverse and vibrant musical and cultural history will be brought to life in music and dance as the pavilion showcases different folklore groups from different parts of the country with the performance changing every four weeks.
The first group of performers are representatives of the Tuareg people from the large Berber ethnic confederation found in the south of Algeria and who are performing the Tagest, a typical dance of the region that is performed while seated, moving the head, hands, and the shoulders.
Doha Al-Obeid, the manager of the pavilion said: “We are really excited to have the opportunity to showcase the rich and diverse history of Algeria enabling guests to experience and become immersed in centuries of Algerian culture. We are also looking forward to encouraging repeat visitors as the ministry approved shops will have different products on display and sale every month – creating a refreshed experience on a regular basis.”
Mohamed Ameen Al Omari is typical of the passionate and talented artists who have travelled to bring their unique and innovative work to Global Village for the first time. He has turned his passion for painting into a career and his exceptional paintings are made using intricate 3D techniques with materials such as sand and leather to bring his paintings to life.
One of the most unique exhibitors is 82-year-old Algerian Sayed Boghara who has spent a lifetime hand weaving beautiful carpets with the help of his wife and his four daughters in Algeria, some of which can take up to six months to complete. It is a skill that has been passed down in his family for many generations and he perfected his skills at the Higher Institute of Arts in Algeria.
His outstanding craftsmanship has been recognised by both the Algerian and the French governments who have presented him with medals to celebrate his work that has been exhibited around the world from New York in the 1950s to his current pride in showcasing his hand-woven carpets at Global Village.
Algeria also boasts a proud history in fashion and dressmaking and the pavilion hosts a number of shops selling traditional Algerian dresses that are representative of the three primary cultures and styles worn in the different regions of the country. Meanwhile fashion conscious guests have the option of purchasing beautifully patterned beach bags and accessories.
Centuries old traditions are also present and can be purchased by guests who will enjoy the variety of Algerian handicraft products that include ceramics, copper trays and decorations, and silver jewellery.
And when it comes to seeing at first hand the most famous Algerian designs, guests will be able to see the world renowned traditional Tlemcen bridal dress, called the “chedda”, which is being displayed in the pavilion museum. The dress is the first dress ever to be registered on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and will be one of the many museum exhibits.
To ensure the historical integrity of the guest experience, Dr. Ferhat Nadjib, Director of Research in Heritage and Consultant to the Ministry was present on site to oversee the setup and development of the museum.
The flavours of this vibrant North African nation on offer will include dates, local sweets, and couscous. Nagaous, one of the oldest Algerian food processors and manufacturers, will also be selling their highly popular fruit flavoured water and juices.
The foundations for Algeria's first presence at Global Village came after a visit to the site by H.E Aicha Tagabo, acting Minister of Land Planning, Tourism, and Handicraft visited Global Village last season and the Ministry now directly oversees 12 of the 20 shops in the pavilion.
The Algeria Pavilion is one out of a total of thirteen Arab pavilions presented at Global Village. Global Village is open from 4pm-12am Saturday-Wednesday and 4pm-1am Thursday-Friday and on Public Holidays.
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