Sultan Bin Ahmed interacts with the differently-abled during his visit.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed the launch of the "Dawahi 11" Festival, on Wednesday evening, organised by the Sharjah Districts and Villages Affairs Department, in Al Nouf 1 Park in Sharjah. The festival runs from 8 to 30 December.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed was received by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development; Sheikh Majid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Districts and Villages Affairs Department; Sheikh Sultan Bin Abdullah Bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director of the Department of Statistics and Community Development; and Sheikh Salem Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah's Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; and several heads of departments and municipal councils, directors of municipalities and suburbans' board members.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed toured the festival, starting with the pavilions of government entities, getting an insight into their various activities before heading to the pavilions of the Sharjah cities' municipalities, which offer several interactive and heritage activities.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed is amused by the children demonstrating their martial arts skills.

The Deputy Ruler moved to see what the productive families offered from Emirati cuisine and handicraft products. He then went on to the snowy suburb, the rainy swing, and several entertainment activities accompanying the festival.

He moved to the festival's stage, where the opening ceremony was held, starting with a speech delivered by Sheikh Majid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, in which he welcomed Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi and the audience, thanking them for honouring the festival and their permanent support. Sheikh Majid indicated that "Dawahi" Festival was born 11 years in Al Nouf Park and has grown over the past years to be held in many cities and regions of Sharjah.

Sultan Bin Ahmed gets a briefing during his visit to the festival.

50 government agencies and 9 municipalities at the level of cities and regions of Sharjah, and 46 productive families are participating in the festival. Sheikh Majid explained that the festival's current version is unique for not repeating the activities of previous versions. This year's activities are constructively based on ideas and suggestions from the public.

Sheikh Majid also expressed his sincere thanks to Khamis Bin Salem Al Suwaidi, Adviser at His Highness Sharjah Ruler's Office, who established the Dawahi Festival with the District Department's work team, for his significant and continuous support, which contributed to the constant development of the festival to become one of the remarkable events in Sharjah.

Then Khamis Bin Salem Al Suwaidi read a poem entitled "Dawahi 11", followed by a traditional Emirati performance and various folklore performances from Africa, Russia, and Mongolia. At the end of the ceremony, Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed took a souvenir photo with the festival's working team.

WAM