Today, Sunday, the sixth session of the Cultural Summit – Abu Dhabi 2024 began at Manarat Al Saadiyat with an exceptional program of keynote speeches, creative dialogues, dialogue sessions and cultural performances, with the participation of an elite group of global thought leaders from more than 90 countries under the slogan “A Matter of Time”, and it will last 3 days.
On its first day, the summit explored the role of culture in creating collective memories while considering alternatives to the linear concept of time.
In his opening speech, His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, welcomed the attendees in Abu Dhabi, and said: “This year’s Cultural Summit – Abu Dhabi will be held under the slogan ‘A Matter of Time’, to serve as an invitation to all of us to pause and reflect that the Cultural Summit is not… Just words that we deliver, but through them vital issues will be discussed in an effort to find concrete solutions that meet the needs of global societies. Culture will allow us to understand, respect, accept and preserve the culture of others. There is no doubt that when we reach this level of harmony and consistency, we will create a unique world of dialogue and understanding in which we can accommodate each other.”
His Excellency added: “It is a great honor for us to host today this brilliant group of thinkers, artists, change-makers and leaders of various nationalities. I am confident that everyone’s voice will reach all parts of the world through the cultural summit.”
His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the international poet and philosopher, presented Adonis, who delivered the first keynote speech at the summit, in which he focused on the summit’s slogan, “A Matter of Time,” and laid out a framework for man’s relationship with times, his ability to create, the machine’s potential to achieve man’s dream, and the machine’s dominance over current time. He stressed that a person’s strength lies in his ability to ask questions, rather than in his ability to provide answers.
Adonis said: “Time is not a machine.. Rather, it is man who invents it, second by second. He wondered: How could man, the creator and master of the machine, become its follower, and why?”
He explained that “the fault is not in the machine itself, or its time, but rather in the mind that uses it, the fault in the person himself.”
Adonis linked time and freedom, noting that “there is no time for those who live, think, and work dependent on the time of others,” concluding his speech by saying: “Tell me what your time is, and I will tell you what your place is and who you are.”
As part of the activities of the first day of the summit, an opening session was held in which media personality Mona Al Shazly interviewed the Emirati artist and Extraordinary Goodwill Ambassador Hussein Al Jasmi within the “Creative Dialogues” program.
The dialogue touched on a number of topics, including the importance of the time factor in the artist’s industry, the importance of caring for creative people, the role of the UAE as an incubator of creativity and cultural harmony, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the artistic and creative movement.
Al Jasmi pointed out that the UAE gives creative people special care, especially in the early stages of talent formation and refinement. He recounted his personal experience in his artistic career, during which he received great support from his surrounding environment and the leadership of the country, the most important of which was meeting the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul), who described him as the first supporter of innovators in the country, stressing that this approach has never faded, and that the wise leadership has spared no effort in providing all support to innovators.
In the context of the importance of supporting creativity, Al Jasmi said that he is currently working with the competent authorities from various institutions and entities to implement an ambitious artistic project to discover and nurture talent in cooperation with schools, including music, singing, and artistic appreciation, which he believes are factors that contribute to creating generations more capable of creativity, through platforms. A specialist capable of supporting and investing in promising talents, thus giving the professionalism of art greater societal appreciation.
Regarding the importance of cultural diversity in the work of creative people and intellectuals, Al Jasmi explained that cultural exchange comes hand in hand with the ability of civilizations and creative people alike to coexist and create harmony and harmony to present an integrated artistic creative movement. He pointed out that the UAE is the best example of that harmony, by embracing a population of more than 200 nationalities on its soil, which means more than 200 cultures circulating at various levels, which is considered a cultural treasure and inevitably contributes to enriching the cultural stock of the creator, while remaining The real challenge is to keep identity present at all stages of development.
He stressed that he personally is one of the beneficiaries of this rich diversity, and that in the midst of all this, he remains proud of his Emirati identity and that he represents the entire Arab world with this identity. He said: “You can walk 700 meters on any walkway in the UAE and speak five different dialects and languages with society.”
When asked about the importance of artificial intelligence in the cultural and creative industries, Al Jasmi said that the final limit in this matter is the legislation and regulating laws that guarantee the rights of creators, stressing that the use of artificial intelligence techniques does not pose a threat to creators, but legislation must keep pace with the needs of the sector.
At the conclusion of his speech, he praised the efforts of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and its keenness to protect intellectual property rights and encourage creators to register their intellectual rights, extending an invitation to creators around the world to come to the UAE to register and protect their intellectual rights, as the legislative system guarantees the protection of their rights.
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize winner in Literature, playwright and professor of theater at New York University Abu Dhabi, participated in a creative dialogue with Manthia Diawara, professor in the Department of Film Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts to discuss the complexities of African culture and issues related to identity as well as differences in ideologies. All over the continent, works of art and antiques are looted.
One of the dialogue sessions, entitled “Indigenous Knowledge of Sustainable Living,” explored an alternative perspective on the concept of time.
The works of four artists from Indigenous communities hosted by the session (Irina Baker-Arapiri and Sarah Hudson of Matahu Arts, Daniel Boyd of Daniel Boyd Arts, and Nicholas Galanin) demonstrated that time can be viewed as a continuum, where lived knowledge is connected through… Memories and collective possibilities.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi is organizing the Cultural Summit, which continues until March 5, in cooperation with a number of global partners from various expertise and fields, from culture and arts to media and technology, most notably the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Economist Impact. The Design Museum in London, Google, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and a number of additional partners, including the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, the Arab World Institute, Berkeley Abu Dhabi, the Club of Madrid, the Cultural Foundation, and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies. , Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi, the World Cities Culture Forum, and others.
2024-03-03 15:49:50
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