Festival of Eritrean community in Riyadh opens with patriotic zeal

Festival of the Eritrean community in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, opened yesterday with patriotic zeal. Present in the opening ceremony were Mr. Zemihret Yohanes, Head of Research and Documentation at the PFDJ, Mr. Tesfai Gebresilasie, Minister of Land, Water and Environment, members of the Eritrean Embassy in the country, as well as thousands of participants.

Asmara, 11 October 2012 – Festival of the Eritrean community in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, opened yesterday with patriotic zeal. Present in the opening ceremony were Mr. Zemihret Yohanes, Head of Research and Documentation at the PFDJ, Mr. Tesfai Gebresilasie, Minister of Land, Water and Environment, members of the Eritrean Embassy in the country, as well as thousands of participants.

Reports indicated that students of the Eritrean Community School staged different exhibitions, fashion shows and cultural performances depicting cultures of the nine Eritrean ethnic groups.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Mohammed Omar, the Eritrean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, indicated that the specialty of the event lies on the fact that it is being conducted at a time when Eritrea has proved the laying of groundwork for the nation-building process, and that the national development drive has gained momentum thanks to the active participation of citizens residing inside the country and abroad.

Mr. Mohammed further lauded Eritrean youths in the Diaspora for keeping intact cultural and national values and enhancing participation in national development programs. He also called for the strengthening of parental role to this end.

Performances by Bisha Cultural Troupe added color to the opening ceremony, reports added.