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The Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit, a global cultural forum organised by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, concluded its fifth edition last month. The three-day event, the first in-person summit since the outbreak of COVID-19, brought cultural leaders, artists, academics, policymakers and creative professionals from more than 90 countries to the UAE capital to discuss the pressing urgency Challenging the cultural sector and the role that culture plays in addressing the broader issues of today’s world.
Under the theme “Living Culture”, the summit explored contemporary issues driving change in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) and the wider global cultural ecosystem. In addition to discussing cultural diversity in Hollywood, the role of art collectors, and the impact of digital media and artificial intelligence, the program explores what it means to have culture as a lived experience in a world transformed by the recent pandemic . , cultural and climate emergencies, important lessons from the pandemic, and more. The programme also includes a series of keynote speeches, plenary sessions, panel discussions, artist talks, workshops, film screenings, creative dialogues and cultural performances.
This year, the summit welcomed renowned speakers from around the world, including comedian and Daily Show host Trevor Noah, world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, renowned architect Sir David Adjaye, Professor and founder of Forensic Architecture Eyal Weizmann, architect Sumayya Vally, art collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens, and more.
Speakers at the summit engaged in influential discussions with attendees both on and off stage: as the summit continues to provide a rich platform for cultural exchange and diverse opportunities for interpersonal exchange.
Commenting on the event, His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The fifth Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit has seen the international community come together to learn, collaborate and embody a living culture. An action-focused summit that provides a platform for multidisciplinary voices to work towards real and visible progress in the cultural realm, while identifying the measurable cultural policies needed to achieve this progress globally. We believe , culture is a key shaper of youth, societies and the world at large.”
One of the common threads running through the summit discussions was the power of education as a catalyst for cultural development and the contribution of culture to diverse opportunities for educational growth. With a focus on learning, Al Mubarak announced that DCT Abu Dhabi will work with the UAE Ministry of Culture and UNESCO to lead the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education to be held in Abu Dhabi in December 2023. The conference will propose a new framework for cultural and arts education based on regional consultations of experts.
“This conference to explore the relationship between education and culture will be the most significant realization we have worked towards in the past 20 years. How do we ensure that everything we talk about is implemented at the local level and has a positive impact on people, communities and relationships impact,” said Ernesto Otone Ramirez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture. Commenting on the summit, Ramirez said: “I am very grateful that these three days have enriched us as UNESCO.”
As with previous summits, the focus is on policymaking to drive change in the cultural sector. An explicit call for cross-government cultural policy to better link culture to social and economic development needs by addressing climate change and the impact of architecture on social public spaces. As highlighted in the discussion with world-renowned architects Sir David Adjaye, Sumayya Vally and Frank Ghery present, “I don’t make any assumptions that I know what the future is, but I know that a building can create feeling, it can create community activity, I think it’s important,” Gehry told the audience during a discussion with His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak.
The summit concluded with a performance from award-winning pianist Danilo Perez’s Global Jazz Project, starring acclaimed oud player Charbel Rouhana.
The Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit 2022 is organised in collaboration with global partners including UNESCO, The Economist Impact, Google, the Design Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation and the Recording Academy. Other participating partners include Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Film Council, Sandstorm Comics, Cultural Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berkeley Abu Dhabi, Cultural Resources, Arab Arts and Culture Foundation and Institut de France.
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