The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Five SAARC countries of India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan will come together for a Cultural festival on Traditional Drumming in Thimphu and make it a unique SAARC cultural festival to be held in Bhutan for the first time where rhythm and tradition will embrace each other through cultural diversity in the SAARC regions.
The festival includes an opening parade of drummers from the different countries.
The objective of the event is to encourage knowledge-sharing, research and practice of Traditional Drumming from across the SAARC regions to exhibit drums from the region, and share knowledge on existing drumming forms in the SAARC region to identify and highlight the potential of cultural diversity in the SAARC Region through drumming.
Director of SAARC Cultural Center, Colombo, Sri Lanka G. L. W. Samarasinghe said the festival will be an impressive cultural festival on drumming with the first SAARC event in Bhutan.
He said this is to promote cultural cooperation among the regions as well as promote distinct cultural heritages.
“It will be of more benefit to people living in the region where people will get together and have interactions where they can discuss the cultural aspects,” said Director Samarasinghe.
Director of Department of Culture (DoC) Dorjee Tshering said from Bhutan’s side there will be Chipdrel, Pacham, Jili Paw, Zhana Cham and many more in the opening parade and performances.
Photo exhibitions at Nehru Wangchuk Cultural Center will exhibit pictures of drums from all the SAARC countries.
The event will be organized by the SAARC Cultural Center and the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs (MoHCA) where drummers from all the SAARC member countries will come together to share their traditions of drumming.
The festival is a four day event which starts from 1 December and will last till the 4th.
