فرصة لجمهور ولاية صحار لمشاهدة ابداع اطفال عمان

افتتاح المعرض الفني الخاص بعرض اللوحات المشاركة في مبادرة " معا نحتفل "

Excitement builds up as ‘Celebrate Together’ exhibition opens in Sohar

MUSCAT, 11 July 2010 – The ‘Celebrate Together’ national initiative launched by BankMuscat and Omantel in commemoration of the 40th Renaissance anniversary of the reign of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said entered a new phase yesterday (Sunday 11 July) with a series of exhibitions lined up across the Sultanate beginning at Sohar under the auspices of H.E. Ahmed Rashid Al Mawali, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Social Development. The exhibition featured over 1,500 paintings selected from nearly 10,000 paintings done by children in Batinah region. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, parents, senior BankMuscat and Omantel officials.

H.E. Ahmed Rashid Al Mawali said: “We are greatly encouraged by the strong response to the ‘Celebrate Together’ national initiative, which has conveyed the nation’s feelings and sentiment towards our beloved leader His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. The paintings at the exhibition reveal that the initiative has succeeded in its objective of instilling patriotic values and the spirit of nationalism in the younger generation.”

Sulaiman Al Harthy, Group DGM – Consumer Banking, said: “”For nearly three decades, BankMuscat has launched several initiatives to unite the nation as one family. The ‘Celebrate Together’ initiative in association with Omantel was part of efforts to present the nation, especially children, with a unique opportunity for creative engagement in tribute to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. We are gratified that the campaign has created nation-wide excitement.”

A parent whose son participated in the campaign said: “This is the first time an opportunity of this kind is made available for children to understand the precious heritage of Oman. We are grateful to BankMuscat and Omantel for launching this initiative which has helped the younger generation to understand their responsibilities in preserving the fruit of development achieved during the Renaissance march under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.”

The ‘Celebrate Together’ initiative achieved remarkable success as over 41,000 children across the Sultanate responded with vibrant paintings depicting Oman as a tribute to the beloved leader.
The technical committees in association with art teachers from the Ministry of Education selected about 8000 paintings which will be displayed in exhibitions at Barka on Monday (12 July), Nizwa on Tuesday (13 July) and Salalah on Wednesday (14 July).

Recalling the remarkable progress and development achieved by the Sultanate under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the ‘Celebrate Together’ initiative offered a unique opportunity to give expression to the perspective of a modern nation through the eyes of children. The theme of the campaign focused on the Sultanate’s achievements in the economic, social, health and educational fields and the role of the Omani citizen as the main objective of all such development. The campaign united the nation as one family to express love, admiration and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, who has been responsible for the progress and development of Oman.

A judging committee comprising academicians, teachers and artists will shortlist 100 paintings which will contest for top honours. The public will be involved in the final voting process to select the best 40 paintings and drawings.

A dedicated website, celebratetogether.net displays all information related to the event. The public can post comments about the competition on the website as well as participate in the voting process to decide the winners. Voting can also be done through SMS to 90004. The 40 winners of the competition will be honoured at the concluding ceremony in which the winning paintings will be announced. Attractive cash prizes will be presented to the winners