Sana'a: The activities of the popular and oratorical festival commemorating Yawm al-Wilayah (Ghadir Day) have been launched in the Capital Secretariat. The festival is organized by the Jihadist Cultural Department and the General Mobilization of Al-Sab'een district under the slogan "Whoever I am his master (mawla), then this Ali is his master."
According to Yemen News Agency, the festival, which lasts for three days, includes a number of choral, cultural, and oratorical events. At the launch event, attended by a number of members of the House of Representatives and the Shura Council, the district director Mohammed Al-Washli, local, community, and mobilization leaders, and social figures, the guidance official of the district, Ahmed Al-Siraji, considered the commemoration of Yawm al-Wilayah an opportunity to renew the covenant to follow in the footsteps of the nation's figures who carried the banner of truth and justice.
He stressed the necessity of sincere allegiance, adherence to the values and principles of the divine message, and confronting tyrants and oppressors, noting that the Yemeni people's adherence to the path of wilayah has had an impact on the achievements made in confronting the forces of global arrogance and supporting the brothers in Gaza. He pointed out that commemorating this anniversary represents a cultural and faith-based occasion that contributes to enhancing community awareness and recalling lessons from the bright milestones in the history of the Islamic nation.
He reviewed the significance of celebrating Yawm al-Wilayah and embodying its meanings, and the close connection of Yemenis to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), affirming that allegiance to God, His Messenger, and Imam Ali must be a behavioral, moral, and practical commitment. He stressed the importance of adhering to the hand raised by the Greatest Messenger on Ghadir Day, and following the one whom God and His Messenger commanded to follow and emulate.
Al-Siraji noted that the Yemeni people's commemoration of Yawm al-Wilayah is a deeply rooted faith-based heritage passed down through generations, reflecting the great status Imam Ali (peace be upon him) holds in the hearts of the Yemeni people, known for their loyalty to the truth and their victory for the nation's causes.
For his part, the head of the Jihadist Cultural Department, Abdulazim Adlan, explained that the festival will include cultural and awareness activities and events to consolidate the meanings of wilayah and strengthen faith-based and national identity within society. He pointed to the importance of immunizing the nation from deviation or allegiance to its enemies from the Jews and Christians by adhering to the principle of wilayah.
Adlan called for broad interaction with the events of Yawm al-Wilayah and benefiting from its awareness and cultural contents in enhancing community awareness and consolidating faith-based and national values in various circles. He noted that Yawm al-Wilayah is an important educational occasion to deepen awareness among generations of authentic Islamic values and connect them to the biography of figures who represented models of knowledge, wisdom, leadership, and service to the nation. He affirmed the importance of Yawm al-Wilayah in recalling lessons in allegiance to God, His Messenger, and Imam Ali, and disavowal of the enemies of God and the nation.
The event included a number of choral, theatrical, poetic segments, and the traditional "Al-Bara'" dance.