ASWAN, Egypt - The 7th Aswan International Festival of Culture and Arts kicked off in the Egyptian city on Sunday with the participation of folklore and traditional bands of 13 countries from Africa, Asia and Europe.

Egyptian Culture Minister Inas Abdel-Dayem along with Aswan Governor Ahmed Ibrahim attended the opening ceremony at an open-air theater overlooking the Nile River in the southern province of Aswan.

The audience enjoyed attractive and colorful performances including traditional songs and dances which were met with constant cheers and applause.

"We have about 23 bands from participant states and they are all feeling completely safe and secure here in Aswan," the minister said. "This is a very important message of peace to the whole world that Egypt combats the strange ideology of extremism."

Each of the participant bands, including nine from Egyptian provinces such as Matrouh, Sohag, Luxor and Aswan, presented shows reflecting their unique culture and traditional arts.

The Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu group of nearly 20 monks bedazzled the audience with their well-organized, simultaneous moves of martial arts which showed professionalism and cultural depth.

Ibrahim said that Aswan people warmly welcomed the participant teams, noting that such cultural activities boosts tourism in Egypt and Aswan in particular.

"Everyone in Aswan is happy with this wonderful event that attracts a lot of visitors and tourists, which is very good for Aswan and its people," the governor said.

Organized by the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, the event gathered folklore groups from Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mauritius, China, Indonesia, Poland and Greece.

Xinhua