The Ministry of Information will premiere 'A House of Wonders: Omani Presence in East Africa', a three-part captivating documentary on the historic relations of Oman and East Africa, at the House of Musical Arts, Royal Opera House Muscat, on Sunday.
An illustrated book with 322 pages that documents Oman’s cultural role in the region depicting different stages of the project will also be launched. Each episode is 55-minute long with Arabic, English and Swahili subtitles.
'A House of Wonders' is an Oman-German venture that focuses on Bait Al Ajaib — an iconic government building in Stone Town, Zanzibar — as a witness to this relationship. The series will follow the lives of Sayyid Said bin Sultan, Tippu Tip, and Mubarak al Hinawy covering a span of 150 years. Local experts as well as international scholars contribute to a multi-perspective approach seeking to establish awareness on the richness and diversity of the shared heritage between Oman and East Africa.
The films will be broadcast on Oman TV during the course of this year.
The production of the film that was shot in 10 countries took 3 years with a short suspension during the pandemic, and is said to be the biggest documentary project in the Sultanate of Oman to date. It features 28 international scholars as well as prominent Omani actors and more than 600 supporting actors.
The documentary has already won the first prize for documentary at the ASBU Festival (Arab States Broadcasting Union) in Tunis (2023) and was shown at Zanzibar International Film Festival. 'A House of Wonders' will also be screened free of charge at VOX Cinema City Centre Sohar, February 19, 7:30 pm; VOX Cinema Nizwa Grand Mall, February 20, 7:30 pm; Cinépolis Oasis Mall Salalah, February 22, 7:30 pm; and VOX Cinema Mall of Oman Bausher, February 24, 7:30 pm.
Friedrich Kluetsch, Saif al Rahbi of Nizwa Magazine, Huda al Jahwari, Abdulrahman al Maskari and Juma al Maskari are co-directors of the movie. Professor Dr Abdullah al Kindi of the project committee will speak about the documentary at the event.
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