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Bank of Palestine provided its sponsorship to the late artist Ismail Shammout Awards Ceremony, organized by Dar Al-Kalima Academy in Bethlehem. The organization of this ceremony comes within the celebration events for the 10-years anniversary of the establishment of the institution; three winners were awarded with the late Palestinian artist Ismail Shammout Award at Dar Al-Kalima’s stage.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. Ihab Bseiso, Minister of Culture, Mr. Zahi Khouri, businessman, sponsor of the ceremony, member of the Board of Directors of Dar AL-Kalima Academy, and President of the National Beverage Company (subsidiary of Coca-Cola), Rev. Dr. Mitri Al-Rahev, President of Dar-Kalima, Mr. Yazid Shamout, the son of the artist and the head of the Palestinian community in Hanover Germany, and Mr. Thaer Hamayel, Marketing and Public Relations Director at Bank of Palestine, in addition to a group of fine artists, a number of political and cultural figures, and attending audience.
During the ceremony, a documentary film was screened that presented the biography of the artistic duo, Ismail and Tamam Shammout, under the title “Biography and Journey” to the Palestinian Director, Bilal Shammout. The ceremony also included art performances by talented youth, in addition to the awarding of three winners by Dar Al-Kalima with the late Palestinian artist Ismail Shammout Award, presented by the Palestinian businessman in diaspora, Mr. Mohammad Abu Issa.
The Bank’s sponsorship to this ceremony is due to its belief in the importance of enhancing the role of Palestinian culture in perpetuating the Palestinian identity, and to promote leading cultural Palestinian figures and honor them as they deserve, as they provided cultural productions that gave Palestine an elite position on the international cultural map.