Abu Dhabi: Seeking to forge cultural solutions for today’s global challenges, delegates from more than 80 countries will attend CultureSummit 2018 in Abu Dhabi from April 8 to 12, making it the largest global gathering of top government officials, philanthropists, arts administrators, business leaders, technologists and artists in the world.
The summit’s programme of expert panels, discussions and workshops will aim to identify and support new ideas for harnessing the power of culture to address some of the world’s greatest challenges. With a special focus on arts education, panels will cover topics such as preserving heritage, promoting positive environmental change and combating violent extremism around the summit’s 2018 theme of ‘Unexpected Collaborations’.
The event will also feature a series of curated performances, exhibits, and interventions by renowned artists and musicians across the world, from the European Union Youth Orchestra to Abu Dhabi’s Bait Al Oud musical academy, with new collaborations transcending disciplinary and cultural boundaries.
Noora Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and chairperson of the Steering Committee of CultureSummit 2018 Abu Dhabi, said: “Following last year’s successful inaugural edition, we are extremely pleased to see the interest CultureSummit Abu Dhabi has generated with some of the world’s leading innovators and decision makers, many of whom have agreed to participate in this year’s iteration.
“As a global cultural hub, Abu Dhabi convenes the most remarkable community of like-minded creatives and policymakers to address global issues — from poverty and women’s empowerment to violent extremism and conflict,” she added. Mohammad Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Tourism and Culture — Abu Dhabi and member of CultureSummit Abu Dhabi Steering Committee, said: “We are building a global cultural capital in Abu Dhabi, as illustrated by the recent opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi and the other world class arts and educational facilities and programmes here. The idea of CultureSummit is not simply to celebrate the arts. It is to promote the best kinds of cultural entrepreneurship — harnessing the power the arts have to elevate and promote positive change.”
Participants
Headline speakers include: Omar Gobash, UAE Ambassador to France; Hannah Godefa; Unicef Ambassador to Ethiopia; Maqsud Kruse, executive director, Hedayah Centre; Drew Bennett, founder and head of Artist in Residence Programme, Facebook; and Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist; among others.
Performers
Alongside the four-day speaker programme, CultureSummit 2018 Abu Dhabi will feature a series of performances and interventions by renowned performers and artists.
Artistic programming will include a special screening by Sundance Institute of the prize-winning film ‘Kailash’ and discussion with its namesake, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam.
The CultureSummit 2018 Artists-in-Residence are acclaimed British photographer Jimmy Nelson, whose work documents indigenous cultures with digital technology; Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer; American-Peruvian interdisciplinary visual artist Grimanesa Amorós; and Emirati poet Afra Atiq.
The CultureSummit will also feature the world-premiere work by Emirati oud musicians Faisal Al Sari, Ali Obaid, and Ali Al Mansouri; choreographer Aakash Odedra; and theatre artist Volker Gerling.
