• Το improve the knowledge, among European citizens of Arab culture and arts, paying particular attention to literature, philosophy, music, theatrical performances and mathematics;
• To set up cultural cooperation channels among European countries of the South of Mediterranean, in order to introduce and implement innovative actions taking into consideration the cultural interaction with Arab and Muslim immigrant populations, for the promotion of mutual acquaintance and understanding within European multicultural societies.
• To encourage cultural operators and public administrations to share their knowledge and to exchange their experiences concerning culture and the management of relations among different cultures;
• To promote the artistic creativeness as a tool for the social communication as well as supply methods to achieve citizens through the art production and originality;
• To strengthen the intercultural dialogue and relationships among different ethnic groups in the three EU countries of the South of the Mediterranean, while considering also a further gradual growth of Muslim and/or Arab presence in their territories.
• To promote the active participation of people stimulating the public awareness using the originality of the cultural productions.
• To encourage the involvement of young people to social themes as well as to the literature creation.

The initiative is managed by a cross border panel of experts constituted, from the very beginning of the project, by the representatives of each partner. The exchange of experiences and knowledge sharing among the cultural operators will trigger actions of project, and activities aiming to foster the intercultural dialogue between European populations and immigrants. An active participation of citizens will be promoted by mean of an International Tales Competition in which the originality and creativity on the cultural integration theme will be awarded. To encourage the mutual knowledge, that besides contributing to avoid conflicts, leads to the cultural enrichment of the individual and to the improvement of the civilisation of all societies. For this purpose the following activities will take place with active participation of Italian, Spanish and Greek experts and cultural operators: culturepolis.org and (provisional website: www.interculturalfestival.eu) Activities (provisionally foreseen by the E.C approved project)

1. The 2-day International Conference

2. Special events

• The Arab litterature corner         

• The Arab and European handicrafts exhibition

• The Arab contemporary art exhibition

• The Arab and European fairy tales corner

• The Arab film corner

• The Arab and European gastronomical corner

• The Arab world reading corner

• The International Tales Competition corner

• The Arab World festival concerts (tentative list)

Summary Description  

The 2-day International Conference         

Theme: The Journey: from Homer’s Odysseus to Sinbad the Sailor                          

Organise and implement a transnational conference concerning a particular issue: “the Journey”, dealing with Homer’s Odysseus and Sinbad the Sailor, with the tradition of the Arabian Nights. It will compare two conceptions of life that are the basis of the nature and the customs of two populations of sailors and travellers, considering also an ideal widening of the natural Mediterranean borders. The conference will last two days and will be held in Corfu. Experts of cultural and historical issues related to the objectives of the initiative will be invited as speakers.

The Arab literature corner            

The exhibition corner will house books and documents concerning literature and mathematics and their development in the Arab world and in Europe (with specific reference to Italy and Greece and Pytagoras who founded his most important school in Crotone). In addition bookshops in Corfu will promote in visible bookstalls books concerning Arab world, published by Arab publishing houses that can be purchased.

The Arab and European handicrafts exhibition                              

Organise an exhibition of Arab and local handicrafts with diverse products offered also for sale. Synergies with other EU initiatives will be sought (Handicrafts from women from Arab countries).

The Arab contemporary art exhibition              

Organise an art exhibition of original Arab contemporary creations which will be combined with local artistic works.  “The intercultural dialogue by means of the creativeness”.        

The Arab and European fairy tales corner                        

Organise a special location for fairy tales, where citizens can listening to Arabian, Italian, Greek and Spanish stories for kids get from ancient and modern tales production. “Creativeness to the cultural integration”.

The Arab film corner                                

Organise a film projection corner where film documentaries on Arab world will be projected.

The Arab and European gastronomical corner                        

Organise a gastronomical kitchen where people can taste the most characteristic food and pastry of the arab and local traditional cooking.

The Arab world reading corner        

Organise at a suitably equipped area six (6) evenings devoted to the reading of Arab literature and philosophy by young actors, cultural operators and experts of Arab world. The International Tales Competition corner Launch of the literary competition to young people “International Tales Competition” on encounter between Orient and Occident worlds for the local selection of 3 original tales. A gazebo devoted to collect the short stories submitted to the international contest on “Cultural encounter between East and West”. Award ceremony for the 3 winners of the “International Tales Competition”

The Arab World festival concerts (tentative list)

Several concerts will be proposed with Arab and Greek music and dance linking these two cultures, whose folklore belongs to the same stock having an Arab matrix. (provisional list)

• Philarmonic Orchestras of Corfu

• Concert of group “En Chordais” with arab musicians

• Concert of Traditional Ensemble Music of Ionian University.

• Concert Lebanese group Sarbel Ruhana

• Dance-Theater Ionian Act - «1001 nights»

The 1^st Corfu Arabian World’s Festival will have a high visibility to attract attention not only of authorities and local populations but also from economic/ business stakeholders to allow for a touristic exploitation and attraction of new visitors desiring to discover new worlds besides their own. Publicity and promotion actions will be launched at local, national and international level to adequate media in 4 languages (EN, IT, GR, SP) and via Internet. These promotion activities will take place not only in Greece and other EU participating or not countries but also partner Arab countries using all communication means.