The UAE is Guest of Honour at Assilah Art Festival
Celebrating the UAE’s Cultural Achievements

 Interview with ADACH Deputy DG, Dr Sami El Masri
Cultural Activities Contribute into Growth and Development for the UAE

Deputy Director General of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Dr Sami El Masri talked at length about the role of Abu Dhabi and ADACH and the long term strategy it has laid out. Excerpts below: 

• The organizers of the Assilah festival chose the United Arab Emirates as guest of honour this year because of the prominent position that the country enjoys in the Arab region and throughout the world in promoting the development process by the most effective means, which is through culture and the arts. We are in full of admiration and appreciation for the Assilah festival – it is a unique global event, in that it motivates the population and involves it in creating a living space that is supported by culture and art. Through the festival, this forgotten little town has become a modern city that is open to the world and allows other cultures to harbour and prosper. At the same time, it has been able to stand its ground economically because the population is continuously involved in the work and creativity of the festival.

It is not the first time that ADACH has been involved in regional or global cultural events. The Authority is present at every major book fair in the world, at international film festivals and at many other cultural and artistic forums and festivals throughout the world. What we want to achieve in the Maghreb through our involvement at the Assilah Festival is to give expression to the achievements of the Government of Abu Dhabi through it’s Policy Agenda 2030, the aim of which is to ensure that ADACH is enabling Abu Dhabi to be at the cultural centre of the region, while promoting national culture and identity as a source of pride and inspiration to it’s people

• It is well known that cultural activity does not give an immediate or direct return. However, the fact that others see what we are doing, and we communicate with them, is of direct benefit. The inclusion of Emirati artists, writers and intellectuals in the official delegation to the Assilah festival and their involvement in festival activities will give the visitors, who are of all nationalities and cultures, a glimpse of the creativity of the Emirati cultural scene. At the same time, through this established festival, our artists will become closely acquainted with the rich secrets of the city of Assilah. This experience will, in one way or another, be reflected in their cultural output.
• During the Authority’s involvement in the festival, it will present a number of art exhibitions, activities and lectures, in addition to the other initiatives. Our involvement is part of our ongoing cooperation with the festival organizers. We want to emphasize that, as an entity that is concerned with culture and heritage, we are in constant contact with cultural bodies and organizations in the region, which reinforces their efforts and helps us to achieve our common goal, namely, to promote cultural understanding everywhere.

• Festival goers will be able to witness the experience of ADACH in supporting traditional Arab music and building young talent through bayt al-’oud al-arabi (the Arabian Oud House). That centre was set up about two years ago by the Authority in cooperation with the oud player Naseer Shamma. Recently, the Centre has begun to showcase the talents of young Emirati oud and qanoon (zither) players and singers who are resident in the country. Here I should like to mention an important forum for music in the World of Islam, that is to be established by setting up a centre in Al Ain. The Authority announced about 18 months ago that this centre will be established, with further preparations for it continuing over the next couple of years. A number of short films made by Emirati filmmakers that won critical acclaim at the Emirates Film Competition will also be shown at the Assilah festival.
• Up to now, our achievements under the 5-year longer term strategy has been very encouraging and sometimes startling, because they exceed our expectations. Popular involvement in Authority initiatives and projects indicates that the population approves of and is engaged with our cultural activities. For example, the success of the annual Abu Dhabi classical music festival in attracting the most eminent music-lovers is something of which we are very proud. The same goes for the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which attracted a wide audience to every screening, even of documentaries, were highly acclaimed as they brought a unique showcase of international talent to the UAE. I would also like to mention the Abu Dhabi World of Music and Dance (WOMAD) music festival, which, over three days, showcased the music of popular cultures from around the world and was open and free for all to see. We had 110, 000 visitors this year.
• The Authority has also successfully presented contemporary forms of culture that are popular with various nationalities and in different cultures. The “Poet of the Millions” programme is an achievement in itself, because it has revitalized an ancient cultural form of expression – poetry, which was believed to be dying. It has really excited people’s interest and at the same time has removed the obscurity in which that art was shrouded. In the long term, programmes such as these will enrich and improve the field of poetry, and we have already begun to see some improvements in the quality of the poems that are presented in the competitions on the programme from around the region.
• The change in the interests of the population and their acceptance of activities that throw light on other cultures encourages us to continue the dialogue of cultures that is an important focus of our projects. At the same time, we are very encouraged by the progress that has been made in making Emirati culture a part of people’s daily lives.