LONDON: Kuwait’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah underlined Wednesday the significant role of cultural activities in strengthening ties with the United Kingdom. Speaking to KUNA after attending, on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the “Rhythms of Kuwait” concert at the Theater Royal Drury Lane in London, Sheikh Jarrah highlighted the rich cultural heritage of both countries and lauded the successful organization of the concert. The concert is held as part of the Kuwait Cultural Week currently organized in the United Kingdom and is sponsored by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled. It was also attended by several senior UK dignitaries and officials as well as foreign diplomats in the British capital London.

At the musical evening, Kuwaiti band “Seen” performed different types of Kuwaiti music, using various instruments and clapping techniques. The band was established in 2022 with the aim of creating valuable cultural and high-level entertainment content. Kuwaiti Maestro Khaled Nouri prepared an innovative musical piece especially for this occasion called Tashabok, which reflects the strong historical relationship between Kuwait and the United Kingdom by exploring various types of music representing both nations.

Tashabok, which means intertwining, features a range of musical instruments unique to Kuwait and the United Kingdom, including traditional Kuwaiti instruments such as the “Jarbah,” the bagpipe, the “rababah,” which is the spiked fiddle, the “safqa,” which is clapping, and western wind instruments. The ceremony was attended by the Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Sheikh Fawaz Al-Khalifa, several senior officials, and a huge crowd of the public.

Sheikh Jarrah commended the deeply-rooted relations between the State of Kuwait and the United Kingdom. He pointed out that the Kuwaiti-UK relations date back to 1899 when Sheikh Mubarak Al-Kabeer signed the Anglo-Kuwaiti agreement. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of their relations, the two governments declared 2024 the year of Kuwaiti-British partnership, as per an agreement signed on sidelines of an official visit by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, then Crown Prince, to the UK on August 29, 2023. — KUNA