The Turkish international school “Maarif” in Tunis organized, on Monday, an event that brought together students, teachers, and school officials, to discover the cuisine and traditional clothes of a different country.
Participants from 15 nationalities wore traditional clothes from their countries, most of which were hand-woven, according to the Anadolu Agency correspondent, who followed the event at the school’s headquarters in the suburb of La Goulette, north of the capital, Tunis.
15 countries participated in the event: Turkey, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, and Cuba.
The event was marked by a musical atmosphere of Tunisian folklore, accompanied by traditional dances, as well as by the wearing of fanciful costumes which delighted the children, while the adults took souvenir photos.
Traditional dishes and clothes were displayed in two adjacent tents, and participants had the opportunity to taste dishes that were unknown to them and to choose clothes or jewelry specific to the participating countries.
Director of the International Maarif School branch in Tunisia, Hilmi Dönmez, told Anadolu Agency: “This is an event held every year, which the school has always considered an indispensable part of its programs. A good opportunity for our students, teachers, and school officials to discover new cultures.”
And Hilmi Dönmez continues: “We have noticed a richness in the cultures of the participating countries, which are countries of the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, and the Middle East, and this will be repeated in the future.”
The school’s deputy director, Rahma Hechmi, for her part, told Anadolu Agency that “the school administration used to organize this event, which is an opportunity to learn about the different heritages and cultures.”
“Difference and diversity are important and the meeting, today, of civilizations and cultures from 15 different countries is something special and good for our students”, adds the deputy director of the school.
And Rahma Hechmi concludes: “Our school has chosen this approach which distinguishes us, and we will continue to follow it in the years to come.”
The school is affiliated with the Turkish Maarif Foundation, which works to spread human values through 270 schools in 35 countries, including Tunisia, which is attended by some 30,000 students.
