The fifth cultural summit in Abu Dhabi to celebrate its cosmopolitan population

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has kicked off its fifth Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi to celebrate its cosmopolitan population and enshrine its status as a global hub of culture.

The three-day event, which begins on October 23, aims to bring together cultural leaders from around the world under the banner "A Living Culture.” The first in-person event in three years will include policymakers, researchers, artists, and culture professionals, who will talk about the impact of digital media and AI, creative ecosystems and indigenous practices.

During the opening summit, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, said, “The UAE has always been a place of bringing people together.”

The event, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, under the slogan: “Culture is a way of life”, aims to bring together leaders in culture, heritage, public policy, technology, artists, thinkers and performers from around the world to promote cultural and religious diversity.

Comedian, writer, political commentator and host Trevor Noah; internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry; diplomat and author Omar Saif Ghobash also attended the event. Frank Gehry also held a conversation with Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), during the second day of the Culture Summit to discuss architecture. The man behind the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi design, one of the museums being built on Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District, talked about museums, architecture and society.

The UAE has long invested in international culture, and Abu Dhabi is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the largest art museum in the Arabian peninsula. Mohammed Baharoon, director general at B’huth, the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre, said that the UAE is a global cultural hub because of its cultural values and respect for different religions. According to Baharoon, the UAE has a strong focus on tolerance for different cultures and religious diversity.

The Abrahamic House, an interfaith complex on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, includes a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. This proves that the UAE respects the cultural and religious diversity in the country.