“Salaam Aleikum”: with this Arabic greeting, four church-based organisers warmly invited the public to the Middle East Cultural Weeks in Hamburg from 3 to 26 November 2006. The Middle East Department of the North Elbian Mission Centre played a leading role in planning and organisation.
Films, lectures, music, encounters, readings, discussions and more offered insights into the Middle East. The cultural weeks provided an opportunity to explore many compelling questions, with the following themes:
The Arab view of the West
Arab upbringing and the transmission of values
Arabic poetry
Social change through the media and the internet
One highlight was a joint concert by Arab and Jewish musicians from Hamburg and the surrounding area, featuring Arab and Jewish music at St Johannis Harvestehude parish. Another distinctive feature was the inclusion and presentation, in varied ways, of non-Arab and/or Christian minorities from the Middle East, including Syrian and Coptic Christians, Arameans and Armenians. The Middle East Cultural Weeks 2006 ended with a shared prayer for peace at the Coptic Orthodox Church.
The organisers were delighted by the broad range of partners from cultural and church life. Numerous institutions, museums and religious communities helped shape the programme. Heartfelt thanks go to all of them for contributing to the success of the Middle East Cultural Weeks 2006.