Int'l drums festival kicks off in Cairo

CAIRO, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The 5th International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts kicked off on Thursday night at the renowned Citadel of Salah Eldin in Egypt's capital Cairo.

The festival hosts shows, bands and groups from around 23 countries including China, Greece, Switzerland and Tunisia.

"The opening of the festival comes to assert that the Egyptian people will proceed with the way of life," Culture Minister Helmy el-Namnam said.

A slogan "Drums Dialogue for Peace" was raised at the festival, which will last until April 26 and aims at spreading tolerance and cultural awareness, the minister added.

"We will not allow any terrorist to spoil our life and we will face terrorism through the Armed Forces and police as well as through art and culture," he added.

Festival activities will be hosted at eight different cultural and historical hubs in the capital: Citadel of Salah Eldin, El Moez Street, Quba El Ghoury, Talaat Harb Cultural Center, Child Center for Civilization and Creativity, and other hubs in the southern city of Luxor and the northern province of Beheria.