EU-funded ‘RISE - Fly High’ campaign celebrates final talent show

AMMAN — The EU Delegation in Jordan on Thursday celebrated a talent show topping off its “RISE - Fly High” campaign, aimed at advancing youth participation in social development through art and culture. 

With the objective of identifying young Jordanian talents and providing them with opportunities to present themselves to the public, the EU-funded initiative kicked off on February 1 via social media networks, in addition to several grassroots activities. 

Achieving more than 6,000 “likes” on Facebook and 51,000 digital outreach interactions, the campaign gathered over 90 applicants, whose submissions were reviewed and assessed by a jury comprising artists Tareq Al Naser, Ala Younis and Nedy Muna. 

In addition, the campaign included a road show of musical street performances targeting several governorates across the north, middle, and south of Jordan, where posters and flyers were distributed in order to promote awareness on the campaign.

The final talent show celebrated on Thursday saw the participation of over 100 officials at the EU Delegation, Jordanian youth talents, families and friends. 

During the event, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed that “this show  confirms the importance of art and culture in shaping young talents, education, and awareness”, expressing hopes to “deliver a strong message on the role of art and culture in fighting extremism that could hinder the development of youth, and manipulate their values and respect to the different backgrounds and varied cultures that shape the Kingdom”. 

Concluding his speech, the ambassador thanked all youth participating in the event highlighting their “commitment, boldness and passion in presenting their talents in such a modern and professional manner”, stressing the EU’s commitment to “building capacities across sectors related to art and culture”.

Artist Lubna Musa was the winner in the category of drawing, while Luay Hassan and Yazan Abbas were awarded for their singing talent, and Alia Jabali and Dalia Hussein for their musical performances. 

“We can only hope that these talents will enrich our humanistic experiences by virtue of the West-East cooperation,” founder of Jordan Legacy Firas Khalefat said, concluding that “this grand event is another token of the results that arise from cultural openness and international cooperation”.