Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UAE, Lee Seok-gu
“We at TEKA are familiar with the Korean culture and the language, so it encourages the Korean community to engage and learn more about the UAE through TEKA. We will continue to give back to the community and contribute especially to being a bridge between UAE and Korea.”
During this holy month of Ramadan, the Emirati Korean group, TEKA, with support from the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE invited the local Korean community for a meaningful iftar experience. TEKA has been hosting iftars since 2020 so everyone can learn and enjoy the spirit of Ramadan. Iftar is the meal at sunset to break the day’s fast.
“We believe it is important to share our local culture and engage the community that we live in, Ramadan being one of them,” said TEKA member Maisa Alwheibi about the importance of gatherings like this. “We at TEKA are familiar with the Korean culture and the language, so it encourages the Korean community to engage and learn more about the UAE through TEKA. We will continue to give back to the community and contribute especially to being a bridge between UAE and Korea.”
Around 55 people attended the event at the Majlis Al Mushrif in Abu Dhabi. According to Noora Almenhali from TEKA, “We decided to hold an iftar experience event for Korean residents in cooperation with Majalis Affairs Office at the Crown Prince Court in Majlis Al Mushrif. Due to the significant social value of the councils (majilis) that preserve the authentic Emirati customs and traditions. Also, because it is the ideal link to share our customs and traditions, as it has been a distinguished place for exchanging knowledge and customs for a long time.”
Among the guests was Korean Ambassador Lee Seok-gu, who witnessed the cannon firing at sunset which announced the iftar time. “He joined us for iftar where he was introduced to the special food we have during Ramadan. He also participated in the activities we prepared like traditional games and he expressed his enjoyment and thanked TEKA for hosting an event that contributes to deepening the relation between UAE and Korea,” TEKA’s Mariam Alkarbi explained.
The guests also enjoyed henna painting, trying on the traditional Emirati kandura and abaya clothing, eating Arabic food, playing carrom board game and doing Arabic calligraphy. Everyone had fun and interacted well in this fun atmosphere. “But I would say the firing of the cannon could be the highlight of the event,” Maisa added. “As it was a new tradition introduced to most Koreans and most of the participants witnessed it for the first time.”