The Kuwait University hosted  the 4th International Conference on Social Sciences from 29th – 30th  November under the patronage of  Prof. Moudhi Abdul Aziz Al Humoud, Minister of Education and Higher Education of Kuwait and President of the Kuwait University. As part of the conference, over 25 countries participated in a two day country promotional exhibition featuring  their culture, touristic attractions, fashion, people, food & hospitality etc,  which attracted visitors in hundreds. 

The countries participated included  Asian, African, European and Western nations, which all had maintained promotional booths at the Kuwait University Auditorium represented by their respective embassies based in Kuwait. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Prof. Moudhi Abdul Aziz Humoud.  Dr. Massouma Al Mubarak, Member of Parliament, Prof. Abdul Reda Assiri, Dean of the College of Social Sciences of the University,  members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished scholars, country representatives, Kuwaiti and foreign nationals and university students joined  the celebrations. 

The Sri Lankan booth was organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy. The booth reported to have showcased a range of products including tourism literature, handicraft items, ornaments, gems & jewellery, Sri Lanka’s culinary & food, fashion & batik items, tea, gift items etc made of local raw-material. The booth was also decorated with  masks, bridal wear, sarees, cottage items, bronze wear, silver wear and some of the best-known brands of Sri Lankan garments and products.

“But, it has failed to demonstrate the islands cultural diversity”, remarked Faizah Ramadan one of the student’s attending the exhibition. “There were no literature or displays on Tamils of Sri Lanka. Anyone visiting the exhibition will only return with an impression that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country. One of the primary reasons visitors attend exhibitions and conferences is the educational component. It was missing in the Sri Lanka booth. Though, the staff  manning the booth were friendly, they were very sensitive to race issues. When asked about the peoples of Sri Lanka, there were only nervous smiles. Hardly any staff wanted to speak about Tamil people and their way of  life in the island. They were either scared or totally ignorant”, remarked Ramadan.