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Submitted by admin on 11 July, 2010 - 14:52
Date: 
9 July, 2010

The mayor of Assilah and founder of the Assilah Festival, Mohamed Benaissa, has welcomed the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) as a guest of honour at the 32nd Assilah Festival in Morocco.

ADACH - under the heading: “Renewable energy – a leap towards human development” - will be putting on events dealing with art, music, literature and film in the Emirates, assisted by some of the leading talents on the UAE cultural scene. “Especially,” the mayor says, “we have a colloquium, which is the first of its kind to happen in our part of the world, on the state of the movement, the literary movement, in the United Arab Emirates today.”

Benaissa says the relationship between the two countries has deep roots. “We complement each other. I think this only reinforces a reality which exists between Morocco and the United Arab Emirates at all levels.”

Benaissa won the title of Cultural Man of the Year at the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards in 2008 and has great respect for the achievements of the UAE. Now, he says, the UAE’s participation in the festival is set to be “the highest we have ever had from any country”.

There will be more than forty-five countries from around the world participating in this year's festival. It is one of the most important festivals in the Middle East and North Africa and seeks to promote cultural exchange and create a culture of open dialogue between different countries.

The presence of Emirati artists, writers and intellectuals, officially delegated by the state, and their participation at the Festival gives Assilah's multi-ethnic and cultural public a glimpse of the latest developments on the Emirati art scene.

The public will be able to witness first-hand the impact that ADACH has had in bolstering authentic Arabic music and sponsoring young talent. They have achieved this through the Beit Al Oud Al Arabi and the Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam.

The Emirates Film Competition will exhibit a number of critically acclaimed short films produced by Emirati artists.

ADACH will also hold several workshops and art exhibitions, lectures and seminars. These will address the topics such as the book industry and publishing (especially the Abu Dhabi Book Fair), Kitab, Qalam and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. There will also be a workshop addressing the current unique market for UAE handicrafts. The festival will run from July 10th to July 27th.

ADACH, along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Masdar are representing UAE officially at the Assilah Festival as a guest of honour this year.