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SDRPY Participates in ’Common Ground’ Exhibition on Saudi, Yemeni Cultures

SPA
SPA
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SDRPY Participates in ’Common Ground’ Exhibition on Saudi, Yemeni Cultures

SPA
SPA

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) participated in an introductory exhibition on its development projects in Yemen.
The introduction is part of the first edition of the Common Ground exhibition, which is organized by the Ministry of Culture and held in Riyadh from September 8 to 20. The exhibition will spotlight the Saudi and Yemeni cultures, SPA reported.
The Common Ground exhibition aims to display the similarities between the cultures of the two Arab countries, including in the aspects of fashion, visual arts, architecture, design, as well as culinary arts.
The exhibition looks forward to enhancing cultural exchange and cooperation between the Kingdom and Yemen.
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Yemen Moammar Al-Eryani and several Yemeni officials toured the introductory exhibition alongside SDRPY General Supervisor Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber.
SDRPY is engaged in reviving and preserving heritage, restoring historical buildings, and enhancing workforce capabilities in the cultural field. The program also implements quality initiatives that back the development process in Yemen and promotes economic benefits in Yemen.
SDRPY has implemented 229 development projects and initiatives in Yemen in seven key sectors: education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture and fisheries, and capacity building for government institutions.

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Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.

Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.

"It's an honor for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.

He said a mechanized press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."

Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.

"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.