Fourth edition of the European Night of Languages Feted
Marking the 74th anniversary of the founding of the European Union
Riyadh – Asdaf News:
The European Union Delegation to Saudi Arabia hosted the fourth edition of the European Night of Languages, a celebration of the continent’s linguistic and cultural diversity. In partnership with the Language Exchange Club, EU Member State Embassies, European cultural institutes and international schools, the event brought together 250 Saudi language enthusiasts for a truly European experience.
The event served as a platform to demonstrate how languages bring people closer together, strengthening people to people exchanges and facilitating greater understanding among cultures. Members of the Saudi society immersed into Europe’s linguistic and cultural richness by practicing their language skills with European diplomats and professional language teachers while enjoying European music with live performances.
This flagship event was held as part of the Europe Month activities, a series of cultural events held from 9 May to 9 June, that the European Union hosts to celebrate Europe Day in the Kingdom. The 9th of May marks the 74th anniversary of the historic ‘Schuman Declaration‘, which is considered to be the beginning of the European Union, setting a vision for closer cooperation among European nations.
Commenting on the event, the EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, H.E. Christophe Farnaud said: ‘’With 27 member states, 24 official languages and 450 million citizens, the European Union takes pride in its rich cultural and linguistic heritage. We are delighted to have cultural exchanges with our Saudi partners, bringing our people closer together and learning from one-another. With a globalised world, multilingualism is the currency of the future which allows us to connect as people, capitalise on global opportunities and ensure greater cooperation across all strategic areas. For me personally, it is also a great honor to exchange with so many Saudis in various European languages and see firsthand the power of languages in building human bonds and friendships.’’
Saudi guests exchanged in 17 languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Greek, Dutch, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Czech, Irish, Finnish as well as Arabic. They also enjoyed a musical performance by a Portuguese band Almanata and took part in interactive quizzes. The winners were awarded free language classes offered by various sponsors including Alliance Française, Goethe Institute, Education First, Arabius and Enjaz.
Mohammed Matham, founder of Language Exchange Club, added: “Working alongside the EU Delegation for the fourth time fills us with great joy. We’re proud to consistently organize these events, fostering deeper cultural understanding and language appreciation within our community.”
The event also coincided with the second anniversary of the Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf, a blueprint that sets the vision for EU-Gulf relations which was published on 22 May 2022. The Joint Communication aims to broaden and deepen the EU’s cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council and its Member States, presenting concrete proposals to strengthen cooperation on energy, green transition and climate change, trade and economic diversification, regional stability and global security, humanitarian and development challenges, and closer people-to-people contacts.
