Launch of the second season of the "Coral Voices" project in Aqaba
Amman3 min read
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The second season of the "Coral Voices" project, organized by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy to the Kingdom, was launched at the Aqaba Marine Reserve, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba and highlighting their environmental and tourist value through art.
Dr. Thabet Al-Nablsi, Commissioner for Tourism and Youth Affairs at the Authority, confirmed that this project represents an opportunity to introduce Aqaba and the Aqaba Marine Reserve in particular, and the diversity and richness of its waters, while emphasizing the importance of the partnership with the Swiss Embassy in conveying marine environment-related knowledge to the public, and expanding the project in its upcoming seasons to reach different countries and cultures.
For her part, Swiss Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Hanna Fasnacht explained that "Coral Voices" is linked to scientific cooperation between Jordan and Switzerland through the "Transboundary Red Sea Center" (TRSC), which works on studying coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, and added that the inclusion of the Aqaba Marine Reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List was an important milestone in highlighting the exceptional value of the coral reef ecosystem in Aqaba, confirming the importance of transferring scientific knowledge from the laboratory to the community through art and storytelling.
Aqaba Marine Reserve Director Nasser Al-Zouaida explained that the second season comes after the large turnout witnessed in the first season, pointing out that the "Coral Voices" project combines environmental and tourist dimensions by raising awareness of the importance of coral reefs and introducing the reserve, in addition to promoting Aqaba as a tourist and environmental destination.
He added that the current season involves 12 Jordanian and Swiss artists who will undergo an artistic experience to transform their experiences and knowledge of the marine environment into artistic works and visual stories that reach a wider audience, especially young people, noting that the exhibition will open its doors to citizens in Aqaba Castle after the completion of the artworks, allowing the public to learn about the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba through the participating works.
The launch of the second season was attended by Mike Derderian, founder of the "Fanzine" comic magazine, and Samuel Gardaz, Director General of the "Transboundary Red Sea Center" at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), along with a number of interested parties in Aqaba.
