10 April 2017
H.E Shaikha Mai Attends Global Cultural Summit in Abu Dhabi Role of Culture in Civilisations’ dialogue highlighted
As part H.E’s strategy to consolidate and enhance regional and global cultural movement, H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities (BACA), has participated at Abu Dhabi first “Global Cultural Summit” at the Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on April 10, 2017. This high-level international summit, held between 9-113 April 2017, will see leaders from around the world come together to discuss the importance of culture in addressing global issues. Influential figures from various fields like media, arts, sports and politics will discuss common interests, new collaborations and explore how technology plays a pivotal role in cultural interactions worldwide.
In her address to the summit attendants, H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said “ We’re keen to encourage the movement for cultural revitalization in our Arab countries, which is more widespread and diffuse now, trying to build bridges of communication and dialogue with others cultures and civilisations. Culture is the key to social and economic development of our societies and it plays a crucial role in self-esteem capacity building for the individual”. BACA President underlined Bahrain's keenness on strengthening Arab cultural cooperation, hailing the UAE efforts in promoting Arab culture. H.E lauded the efforts deployed by the Kingdom of Bahrain to host many important events in 2018, such as Muharraq, Capital of Islamic Culture 2018, in parallel to Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy project inauguration.
Worth to mention that Abu Dhabi summit is held under the theme “The Creative Mind of the Connected World: Culture as a Change Agent in the Digital World”. It will bring together representatives from over 60 countries to address challenges ranging from the preservation of cultural heritage to understanding the disruptions likely to be associated with emerging technologies, from bringing arts education to the young to finding new ways to finance the arts, from combatting threats like extremism to developing public policies that promote creativity and social development. It is a high-level international summit that will bring together leaders from the worlds of government, the arts and media to address the role culture can play in addressing some of the great challenges of our time. It will also explore how new technologies are changing the very nature of culture and cultural interactions worldwide with major consequences for education, our economies, politics and virtually every other dimension of our lives.
