Artworks painted by Mauritian artists were remitted to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, this afternoon, during a ceremony held at Renganaden Seeneevassen Building, in Port Louis. The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, presented the artworks to the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Mauritius, Dr Alya’a Samir Borhan, on that occasion. The artworks will be displayed in Egypt’s new administrative capital.
In his address, Minister Teeluck highlighted that this event will help in further consolidating the bilateral relationship that Mauritius and Egypt share. It will also allow Mauritian artists achieve international exposure and recognition, especially in Egypt, where culture, cultural heritage and the arts are important within the social landscape of that country, he said.
The Minister moreover indicated that these paintings have been chosen under a Scheme introduced last year following the challenges faced by artists due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were therefore not able to display their artworks to the public.
On that note, Mr Teeluck recalled that his Ministry had introduced different Schemes to support and provide financial assistance to struggling artists so as to allow them earn an income in the creative sector. Under these Schemes, he underlined, paintings to the tune of around Rs 1 million were procured from 30 artists in order to aid the artist community.
As for the Egyptian Ambassador, she indicated that these artworks bear testimony to the excellent cordial relations that exist between our two countries and will be permanent ambassadors of Mauritius’s distinct culture and diverse rich heritage. The Egyptian people will be really impressed with the artworks as these speak volumes about the rich cultural heritage of Mauritius which encompasses so many different cultures, ethnicities and religions, she added.
Mauritius represents a mini world and has the capacity to demonstrate how different cultures can live side by side, in peace and harmony, the Ambassador stated. She expressed gratitude to the Government of Mauritius, who is among the first countries to send artworks to Egypt’s administrative capital for display.
