Shakira Visits Her Grandmother's Village in Lebanon
Colombian pop star Shakira on Friday visited the village in Lebanon where her paternal grandmother was born.
"Hello Tannourine, thank you, I am happy to be here!", the 41-year-old singer said in Arabic during a visit under high security to the village of Tannourine in north Lebanon.
Accompanied by local officials, Shakira visited a nature reserve that grows cedar trees -- Lebanon's national emblem -- and planted two saplings.
To mark the occasion, a small patch of the reserve was named "Shakira Mubarak" -- after one of the singer's family names, Tannourine's mayor Bahaa Harb said.
On Friday evening, she will kick off the Cedars International Festival in Lebanon, a concert set to attract 13,000 people.
This is Shakira's third visit to the country. Her first visit came in 2003 and she returned in 2011 for a concert.
The artist is in Lebanon with her two sons.
Source: Agence France Presse
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