Mohamed Ketata: “Bucharest is the capital of young people, being a leading university center”

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The expatriates living in Romania offer us real lessons about the beauty of these regions. Romanians are, for the most part, preoccupied with everyday life and forget to enjoy what is happening around them. Sometimes it is necessary the intervention of foreigners who come and show us the wonders of the country where we were born. This applies also to Bucharest, the city about which we have become accustomed to find out from others about how beautiful it is.

Mohamed Ketata, regional director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency (AUF), took over this position in 2016 and has lived in Bucharest since.

Life in the Romanian capital allowed him to discover the city, and today he talks about his favorite places.

“The city of Bucharest is worth a visit and I recommend it as a tourist destination whenever an occasion arises. However, I believe that further efforts should be made for better promotion and better tourist orientation on the spot. The opening of several tourist information points would be preferable, especially in strategic places in Bucharest. At the same time, the quality of the services provided should be improved to maintain a positive image after a visit to Little Paris ”- Mohamed Ketata, regional director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency (AUF).

Friday – classical music, Sunday – outdoor walks

Passionate about outdoor walks, Mohamed Ketata has found the perfect setting in Bucharest to satisfy this hobby. On Sunday, he goes out on the streets of the city, taking advantage of his free time and the fascinating architecture that he has the opportunity to see.

“The parks in Bucharest are a green oasis that I discover whenever I have the opportunity. Many times, on Sunday mornings, my favorite destination is Herastrau Park ”, says the regional director of the AUF.

He even prepared a schedule that he strives to respect. So, if Sunday mornings are for outdoor walks, Friday night is reserved for classical music.

“The Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest represents for me a favorite place, where I have the pleasure of attending every Friday evening concerts of classical music. The story of the Athenaeum is also fascinating, and the building itself deserves its place in the landscape of Little Paris,” says Mohamed Ketata.

Not only the culture and the architectural beauty of the city convinced the representative of AUF. He also likes the diverse gastronomic offer that he has the opportunity to explore in Bucharest. “Whoever comes to Bucharest can only appreciate the gastronomic quality of the restaurants, the perfect taste of the traditional dishes, but also their scent. I am passionate about gastronomy, and in Bucharest I have found dishes for all tastes”, stresses Ketata.

Recommend the Old Center, the Village Museum and the Parliament Palace

The regional director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency is one of the most authentic ambassadors that Bucharest can have.

The official was many times the guide for his friends from abroad who visited him in Romania. And the first place in which he took them was the Old Center. “It is the first place I recommend to my friends, both from an architectural point of view, and because it is such a animated and lively place”, mentions the Mohamed Ketata.

But his tourist circuit through the Romanian capital includes other important objectives, including the building of the Parliament Palace and the National Village Museum “Dimitrie Gusti”.

“The Parliament Palace building is undoubtedly attracting the interest and eyes of all tourists, including those of my friends. It is perhaps the best known building that everyone who comes to Bucharest at least once wants to visit. But let’s not forget about the Village Museum, the open air museum, which allows you to not only travel thousands of kilometers through the Romanian villages in just a few hours, but also a return in time to know a little part of Romanian history”, mentions the AUF representative.

A city rich in impressive buildings

We often talk about the Romanian capital as Little Paris or “Le Petit Paris”, and Mohamed Ketata tells us that Bucharest fully deserves this title “because it hides magnificent places to visit”.

Moreover, he also makes a number of important recommendations. “There are impressive buildings all around, such as the Telephone Palace, the National Military Circle, the Athenee Palace Hotel, the Central University Library, the Deposits, Consignments and Savings House, etc. These are just some of the many places that are worth seeing,” says the AUF representative.

The history of these impressive buildings fascinated him since the first time he came in our country and he took advantage of his stay in Bucharest to discover even more information to help him draw a clear picture of all the opportunities it offers the city that adopted him from the moment he took over the position of regional director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency.

The city that trains thousands of students

Bucharest is a complex, diverse city, in which the new and the old combine extremely well. It is a cultural city and very important, it is a city of young people. Mohamed Ketata states that it is “the capital of young people, being a first-rate university center where internationally renowned universities train thousands of students and prepare them to meet the challenges of the socio-economic environment”.

It also urges us not to forget that “it is also a Francophone and Francophile capital. I don’t know how many people know, but in Bucharest there is the Francophonie Square, at the intersection of the Libertății Boulevard and the Way September 13th. The Francophone University Agency also carries out its regional activity for Central and Eastern Europe, an institution that I coordinate”.

The discussion with Mohamed Ketata was a new opportunity to discover another image of Bucharest. And it is not the image of the tired city that people who were born in the Romanian capital complain about. On the contrary, it is a city of opportunities, a city that is worth exploring, a city that enchants all who come to visit it. Bucharest is a city that is still waiting to be appreciated at its true value and by the people of Bucharest.

Who is Mohamed Ketata

In 2016, Mohamed Ketata came to Bucharest, where he assumed the position of regional director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency (AUF).

With an impressive CV, Mohamed Ketata was noted for his professional career. Doctor of the Central School of Paris, university professor at the University of Rouen and CNAM (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts), he has extensive experience in the field of training, research, technology, administration and international scientific cooperation.

And the institution whose regional activity is coordinated has a long tradition behind it. Created over 50 years ago, the Francophone University Agency (AUF) is an international association that brings together 944 higher education and research institutions from 116 countries on five continents.

It should also be mentioned that the Francophone University Agency is the operator for higher education and research of the Francophone Summit. Its main purpose is to promote a solid Francophone university, engaged in the economic, social and cultural development of societies.

Referring to his day-to-day work, Mohamed Ketata reminds us that the Francophone University Agency is the institution that promotes active solidarity between member organizations and gives them their support to meet the challenges they face. “Through our efforts, we pursue the quality of training, research and academic governance; the professional insertion and employability of the graduates of higher education; involvement in the development of companies. The Francophone University Agency operates in ten regions of the world, including in Central and Eastern Europe”, mentions the regional director of AUF.

Author: Ștefania Enache

Photo: Corina Gheorghe

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