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Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit The first in-person event in three years has been launched, with a series of presentations celebrating uniting to find ways that cultures can solve our shared challenges.
opening ceremony summitsaid Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism: “The UAE has always been a place that brings people together. For thousands of years, it has been East and West bridge between.
“It’s a place where cultures come together; here, we learn to understand each other, we learn to talk, we learn to appreciate each other, and more importantly, we learn to respect each other.”
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The Culture Summit is in its fifth year with an exciting selection of speakers, presentations and themes. Organised by DCT Abu Dhabi, it is a forum for sharing information, debate and policy making, bringing together leaders of culture, heritage, public policy, technology, artists, thinkers and performers from around the world to explore and identify culture The ways that can change societies and communities around the world.
This The theme of this year’s Cultural Summit is a living culture with speakers including comedians, writers, political commentators and hosts Trevor Noah; Internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry; diplomat and writer Omar Saif Gobash; Record producer, songwriter, filmmaker and current CEO of The Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr.; and the world’s first hyper-realistic artist robot Yes.
“I can imagine a hundred years ago, Bedouins in the desert, under the stars, sharing poetry, talking to each other, emphasizing new levels of understanding and new levels of solidarity,” Mubarak continued in the opening ceremony. That’s what we’re here for today. Together, we’re constantly looking for solutions.
“These solutions will make us better in the future. The pandemic is here and it’s almost over.”
However, when epidemics or recessions recur, Al Mubarak said, no matter what happens, people come together to preserve culture and make it an inseparable part of society and community.
Despite seeing cultural institutions, programmes and performing arts take a step back and the whole world “devastated”, “in an instant, something very special happened”.
“What’s so special? We took a step forward together. We said ‘enough’ – we need to connect with each other and find solutions.”
During the pandemic, Almubarak said he spent “endless” nights with people from different cultures around the world. “What happened in Brazil affected us here, what happened in India affected us in New York, or it affected us in Europe or anywhere in the world. We took this opportunity and took it.
“We talked to each other. We talked about how to open up together, we talked about how to make sure these cultural institutions, that kind of heartbeat, keep beating. Sitting here, I think about these times. Because we both understand that together, anything is possible. .”
Meetings such as the Abu Dhabi Cultural Summit should not be taken for granted, he said, as they are opportunities to constantly learn from each other. “This is my university. This is my educational center…every moment I will learn about your culture, and you will learn about mine.”
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Whether discussing the situations we face collectively or individually, Mubarak said: “I can assure you that no one will leave these doors facing any situation alone. No more. We are going to do it together.
“Culture is who we are, not just what we do. To me, that means it’s in our hearts.
“The fact that we are all here today is a reminder of how powerful we can be together. It’s a reminder that no matter where you are in the world, every voice must be heard.
“Because of our value and love of culture, we will be united. We all understand that culture should be at the heart of every component of life. Because without it, we just disappear into the dark.”
Following Mubarak’s speech, Tim Marlow, director of London’s Design Museum, spoke. “I can say what a generous thing it is actually to host a cultural summit that brings us all together and how generously we need to come together over the next few days,” Marlowe said.
While last year’s event was online-only, Marlow explained that this year’s iteration will see 1,000 attendees “in person” and an additional 5,000 attendees virtually.
“We are here to affirm the importance of culture and explore the ways in which it can transform societies and communities around the world.
“But … we don’t think of culture as a medicine, it’s not dispensed from a height, despite its many health benefits.” Instead, he said it’s a “vibrant, fluid, inspiring aspect of all of our lives.” “. “It brought us together. It affirmed our sense of self.”
While some creative and cultural institutions have been severely threatened or even lost during the pandemic, “cultural production and dissemination have also changed dramatically,” he said.
“It’s this shift in our relationship with culture that makes it more fluid and a more dynamic part of our everyday lives. That’s the broad framework of the Cultural Summit – a living culture.
“This is both an opportunity and something we have to be careful about. Cultural ecosystems are fragile. We need to find ways to make them [them] The future is more resilient. “
Updated: October 23, 2022, 12:34 pm
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