Spotlight on Oman at 39th Paris Book Fair

Paris: Omani cultural activities continued yesterday at the 39th Paris Book Fair.
These activities are being held as part of the Sultanate’s participation in Paris Book fair as a Special Guest. The activities of the second day included a seminar on “Omani-French relations: Past and Future”.
During the seminar, Sayyid Badr bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, Herve de Charette, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Marie Bockel, President of the French Senate Friendship Group with the Gulf countries, Renaud Salins, French Ambassador to the Sultanate, the historian Xavier Began Bellockuk and Mark Lavernier, researcher in Omani and Gulf affairs gave lectures.
The Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry started with a quotation of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said who said at the opening of the Oman and the Sea Exhibition in Paris in 2013. “It is our hope that this exhibition will help spread knowledge and deepen convergence and understanding among civilisations.”
Sayyid Badr said that one of the most influential means of human culture is the book. He pointed to the cultural and knowledge links between the Sultanate and France, adding that the history of these relations dates back to about 400 years, i.e. to the middle of the seventeenth century.
He said that in the eighteenth century, the Omani-French trade grew after Muscat became an increasingly important port for trade in the Indian Ocean region. He added that in 1775, Oman decided to grant France official rights to establish a trade centre in Muscat and then granted it in 1786 the right to appoint a diplomatic representative.
He also said “Although France did not appoint its first consul in Muscat until 1894, these first links formed the background to Napoleon’s historic written message to the Sultan of Oman dated January 1799, inviting Oman to trade freely and safely with Suez.”
After that, a session on “a Writer in the Mountains of the Sultanate of Oman,” was held in which Jean-Christophe Rufin, a traveler, writer, member of the French Academy and the former ambassador, spoke about the details of his visit to the Sultanate.
Then, Said Al Saqlawi, Chairman of the Omani Society for Writers and Literates, presented a lecture entitled “The Diversity and Evolution of Poetry and Literature in Oman”.
Dr. Aisha Al Darmaki, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Cultural Club, delivered a lecture titled “The Foundations of Culture and Values of Knowledge in Oman”. After that, a musical performance entitled “Omani Tones Touring the World” was staged by violinist Tahira Jamal and the pianist Zahra Al Lawati. The Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra presented musical pieces, concluding the second day of the cultural events accompanying Paris Book Fair.