RIYADH: The international conference, Challenges and Prospects of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature, concluded on Friday in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

Held over two days at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, the event was organized by the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in cooperation with the Korean Association of Arabic Language and Literature and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Wosheemi, secretary-general of the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, emphasized the center’s commitment to strengthening its strategy and objectives in promoting the Arabic language worldwide.

He highlighted the center’s ongoing efforts to enhance Arabic language education in Korea by implementing courses, publishing books, and organizing lectures.

Al-Wosheemi expressed the center’s aspirations for the international conference to serve as a platform for reaching global audiences, establishing communication channels, and drawing upon diverse global experiences in teaching Arabic as a second language. He further emphasized the center’s dedication to unifying scientific references internally and externally in the Arabic language and its sciences.

Dr. Jong Wha Lee, president of the Korean Association for Arabic Language and Literature, provided a historical overview of the Arabic language in Korea, mentioning the establishment of several departments, the oldest dating back to 1965.

He also discussed the rapidly evolving language education landscape with the advent of artificial intelligence. He intends to develop a plan for revitalizing Arabic language instruction through collaboration with organizations in Arab countries, he said, as well as exchanges among Arabic language specialists to explore various approaches to ensuring effective teaching methodologies.

The conference’s sessions addressed six key themes: Modern methodologies in teaching Arabic as a second language; preparing teaching materials for Arabic as a second language; measurement and evaluation in the context of teaching Arabic as a second language; means and techniques for teaching Arabic as a second language; the current state of Arabic language teaching in Korea; and language planning for teaching Arabic and other languages in Korea.

RIYADH: Mogobo David Magabe, South Africa’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, hosted a Freedom Day celebration on Thursday in Riyadh’s Cultural Palace.

Freedom Day is celebrated annually on April 27 in South Africa to commemorate its first democratic election on that day in 1994, an event that signaled the end of official racial segregation in the country. The embassy in Riyadh decided to hold the 30th anniversary celebrations after Ramadan. 

“This is a very important day because of the relationship that South Africa shares with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in several areas,” Magabe told Arab News. “Since 1994, our diplomatic ties, which this year turn 30, have grown substantially.

“Saudi Arabia is a regional power that is presenting itself as a gateway into the market and GCC countries,” the ambassador continued. “South Africa is also a gateway into the continent of Africa and the two friendly nations play a very important role.” 

Magabe highlighted numerous visits made by South Africa’s leaders to the Kingdom, including President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit in October 2022, when he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During that visit, the two sides signed multiple Memorandums of Understanding, to a value exceeding $15 billion, and also agreed to explore areas of joint cooperation in the fields of energy, petroleum and petrochemicals, and electricity and renewable energy such as solar and wind. 

At the celebrations on Thursday, Magabe gave a speech highlighting the historical ties between the two countries and areas of cooperation including trade, investment, and tourism. Mayor of the Riyadh Region, Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, was the guest of honor. 

Following Magabe’s opening remarks and the cutting of the cake — performed by the ambassador and the mayor of Riyadh — guests had the opportunity to sample multiple products and dishes from South Africa.