Abu Dhabi: Renowned Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi will perform at the annual Christmas concert in Vatican on Saturday, alongside a group of internationally celebrated stars.
Al Jasmi, the Extraordinary UN Goodwill Ambassador, is the first Arab artist to perform at the Christmas charity event, which will take place at Paul VI Audience Hall on the eve of Christmas.
The participation of the popular Emirati artist in such an event is a tribute to the humanitarian values that the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan has instilled in Emirati people.
It also comes in line with the policy adopted by the UAE to consolidate the values of inter-faith tolerance, moderation and intercultural exchange, as well as to continue creating channels of communication with all peoples worldwide, regardless of their ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
Al Jasmi said: “I have always been pleased to contribute to charitable work in order to create an environment conducive to a dignified life, respect, equality and peace, the values that we have grown on and inherited from the late Shaikh Zayed.”
He cited Shaikh Zayed’s saying: “Tolerance is a duty, and our religion is a religion of mercy, tolerance, understanding and rapprochement between human beings.”
Al Jasmi stressed that the UAE leadership has been at the forefront in promoting the values of tolerance so that the country becomes a global capital where eastern and western civilisations meat, in order to promote peace and rapprochement among all peoples. The UAE is the first country to establish a ministry for tolerance, the Ministry of Tolerance.
Al Jasmi will participate in the concert with the Grand Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Renato Serio. The concert will be aired on the fifth Italian Channel and through several channels around the world on the night of Christmas.
The proceeds from the concert will go towards refugees in Kurdistan’s capital Erbil in Iraq and Uganda through Scholas Occurrentes, a charitable foundation that was founded by Pope Francis, in collaboration with the Missioni Don Bosco, an international humanitarian charity that carries out humanitarian operations worldwide.
The Christmas concert in Vatican featured artists such as Patti Smith, Bryan Adams, Al Bano, Tom Jones and Lauryn Hill.
