PHNOM PENH: Cambodia will host the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting from Thursday to Friday. As a cultural side-event, the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the European Union and the Asia-Europe Foundation, the ASEM Cultural Festival is being held starting on Monday. The Cultural Festival is aimed to celebrate the cultural diversity and artistic exchange between Asia and Europe.

Starting Monday, online performances are being shown through the official website of the Asia-Europe Meeting promoting cultural diversities. Artistic photographs and paintings are being exhibited at the kingdom’s National Museum.

Under the theme ‘Enhancing ASEM Partnerships through Arts and Culture’, the festival aims to promote people-to-people connectivity between Asia and Europe in the field of arts and culture. Over 30 events will feature 100 Asian and European artists showcasing the rich cultural diversity from Asia and Europe through theatre, dance, music, visual arts and interdisciplinary presentations.

The opening event on Monday presents a special presentation titled ‘Colourful Cambodia’ with performances that includes a blessing dance as a traditional way to welcome guests. The program also showcases a folk dance depicting the traditional ceremony of rice-planting and harvesting, a Khmer contemporary dance portraying a dynamic and positive drive of Cambodian youth and a performance piece highlighting Asia-Europe partnership along with the ASEM flags dance.

Besides performances that can be viewed at ASEM Cultural Festival website, there are also four film screenings at the Major Cineplex in Phnom Penh. At the same time, a curtain raiser offering a slice of the festival is being shown live to audiences in Brussels and Belgium, between the 15 and 26 of November. The ASEM Cultural Festival takes place annually on the sidelines of ASEM Summits or Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, as one of the official side events.