Meet Aarhus' Minister of Culture: Rabih Azad-Ahmad

Palestine

Published: 2017-11-03 14:25

Last Updated: 2024-03-26 15:11


Rabih Ahmad-Azad.
Rabih Ahmad-Azad.

Roya’s Hilwa ya Dunya team met Aarhus’ local alderman —local councillor— of culture, Rabih Azad-Ahmad.

Azad-Ahmad is a lawyer and a local politician of Palestinian origin, who formerly served as 1st deputy mayor of the Aarhus - Denmark’s second-largest city, with a population of over 300 thousand.

Aarhus was designated the European Capital of Culture of 2017, and Azad-Ahmad said he felt honored for being elected the local councillor of culture of the city during this time.

As the local councillor or minister of culture in Aarhus, he is responsible for the budget of the ministry.

He talked about the challenges he faced when he arrived to Denmark at the age of 13, a challenge shared by people of Arab and Muslim backgrounds in the country, in learning the language, and challenging negative the preconceptions people have of Muslims.

Azad-Ahmad talked about an ongoing twinning agreement that is slated to be finalized next Spring between Ramallah and Aarhus.

The local minister is hopeful that the agreement will improve cooperation in educational and cultural sectors between the city, as well as to bridge the gap between cities like Aarhus and the Arab world.