Europe Day marked in Jordan

AMMAN — The European Union marked Europe Day celebrations in Jordan, holding a number of cultural and artistic activities. 

Europe Day, held annually on May 9, celebrates “peace and unity” in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical “Schuman declaration”. 

At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then-French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations “unthinkable”, according to the European Union website. 

The activities started early last week with the hosting of Spanish comic artist Antonio Altarriba, who held a number of workshops, round-table discussions and exhibitions for students and artists, in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute in Amman, according to a statement from the EU National Institutes for Culture. 

“Regardless of age, background or nationality; whether they depict a journalistic truth or an inner hero; the appeal of comics transcends social boundaries and have rightly been recognised as an important artistic tradition for decades,”  the statement quoted the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Jordan, Ambassador Andrea Matteo Fontana, as saying.

The Spanish artist described the art of the comic as a “cultural manifestation in Europe that has educated young people for many years”.

The programme of activities, organised in collaboration with F.A.D.A. 317, an art space and studio that creates cartoons, graffiti, illustrations and writings, also included a public roundtable discussion at Princess Sumaya University of Technology, while local artists worked jointly with Altarriba to create a short comic story.

This is one of many activities taking place this month, as a part of Europe Day celebrations. 

This project forms part of a broader programme of cultural events and activities held in Jordan that are funded by the European Union and implemented by the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Jordan, whose members are: the British Council, the Austrian Embassy, Instituto Cervantes, Institut Français, Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of Greece, the Embassy of Romania and the Società Dante Alighieri, according to a EUNIC statement. 

The European Union in Jordan on Saturday also held a public open-air, free-of-charge concert, bringing together Jordanian and European talents in celebration of Europe Day. 

The main theatre in Al Hussein Park in Amman hosted Jordanian band “Autostrad” who have found regional success since their formation in 2007. 

“La Bande Annonce — World Beat Wahad”, a six-piece collective from France with an eclectic repertoire in Spanish, English, French and Arabic, also performed.