After the ongoing controversy...an official clarification about the Iraq International Festival and

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[size=52]After the ongoing controversy...an official clarification about the Iraq International Festival and the organizing and financing party revealed[/size]

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2023-10-05
On Thursday, the Advisor to the Prime Minister for Cultural Affairs, Arif Al-Saadi, issued a clarification regarding the Iraq International Festival, which was held in the celebration square inside the government Green Zone, and was attended by Iraqi and Arab cultural and artistic figures, while revealing the organization and financing party for this festival.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi said, in a statement, “The artist Shatha Hassoun submitted a request in which she intends to hold a festival honoring Iraqi and Arab artists, and that the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture supported the idea (a festival in which Arab and Iraqi artists who deserve to be honored) but the artist did not receive any financial support, because the request Provided by a private company, but the support was summed up in preparing the arena to set up the stage and some logistics for receiving and seeing off the guests.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “The government has absolutely nothing to do with the artistic organization, nor with the invitations of the honorees, even though the festival included important figures and names that raised its value, such as Habib Ghuloum, Jamal Suleiman, Walid Tawfiq, Jawad Al-Shakarji, Awatef Naeem, Abdel Sattar Al-Basri, Alaa Hussein, Iyad Radi, Ali Fadel, and other names.” Respected, they were honored in a decent and joyful way, and they spoke with great beauty about Baghdad and its return to health through art, poetry, and peace.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi pointed out that “only these respected artists and their likes rose to the honoring platform, as well as the high-quality jury, including the head of the Artists Syndicate, Jabbar Joudi, Dr. Shatha Salem, and others.”[/size]
[size=45]The Sudanese advisor acknowledged that there were several errors that accompanied the festival, such as the presence of blockers and funstats, considering this “inappropriate.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi disclaimed the government’s responsibility for the confusion that occurred, saying: “Is it our turn to search the women at the party gate? Or do we publish advice on clothing and fashion? If we did such a thing, we would be insulted more and more, and if we banned the festival in the first place, it would be said that Baghdad has become Kandahar.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the date of the festival, he explained that it was last September 29, and invitations were sent by the festival administration based on this date, but the disaster that happened in Al-Hamdaniya and the mourning that Iraq announced prompted the festival administration to postpone the ceremony to 10/3, which happened to be the same time. With National Day, this means that the festival did not celebrate National Day, but rather it is a postponed date, nothing more and nothing less.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the drop campaign that took place from what he described as blackmailers, Al-Saadi added: “We cannot be blackmailed with money in order to buy silence, and the talk includes one of the artists residing in Egypt,” adding, “It is very shameful for those who claim art or culture and whose main job is to blackmail people with posts and insults for the purpose of obtaining On the money.”[/size]
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