ABU DHABI, The Ministry of Culture and Youth has revealed the details of the second edition of Al Burda Festival to be held at Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai from 19th-21st December.
The three-day festival themed ‘Transcending spaces, discovering the world’ is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and coincides with the UAE’s 50th anniversary and carries the message of openness, coexistence, and tolerance.
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said, “Al Burda Festival honours Islamic arts, and the greatness of Islamic civilisation. The festival aspires to promote tolerance and human and cultural interaction through Islamic art, which epitomises the rich heritage and values of the great Islamic civilisation.”
She explained, “The Ministry of Culture and Youth opts to see the world as a better place through art and culture. We want to use art as a medium of communication between people from different cultures and backgrounds in the hope of forge stronger human connections for a brighter future. This is the underlying principle of Al Burda Award since its launch 17 years ago. Launched in 2018, Al Burda Festival celebrates Islamic creativity and has grown into a very significant global event in the cultural field, in general, and in the field of Islamic art. The festival promotes Islamic civilisation, culture, and history through the arts.”
Al Kaabi noted that the UAE, since its establishment, has been an incubator of culture and diversity, with more than 200 nationalities living in the country. “Al Burda Award highlights the role of UAE in enshrining the idea of human convergence. This year the 16th iteration of the award has attracted more than 1,557 entries from more than 56 countries around the world. Since its launch in 2004, Al Burda has felicitated more than 300 artists worldwide in its main categories. The award has been an important vehicle to promote our culture and heritage by showcasing traditional Islamic arts.”
Al Burda Festival Events
Al Burda Festival comprises dialogue sessions that host intellectuals from the field of Islamic arts and culture, provide comprehensive topics and insights on the latest trends and pioneering ideas that shape the future. The conferences and meeting at the festival include insightful dialogues and discussions on the intersection of traditions, cultural heritage, advanced technology, entrepreneurship, arts, and culture.
The festival also features performances and films inspired by the Islamic world, which tell stories rooted in Islamic arts and culture, targeting audiences of various interests and age groups. The festival celebrates Islamic decoration, Arabic calligraphy, Nabati (popular) poetry and ornamentation.
More than 74 world-renowned speakers will be participating in 65 programmes encompassing panel discussions, workshops and dialogue sessions over the three days of Al Burda Festival. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Islamic art forms and enjoy performances inspired by the cultures of the Muslim world. More than 15 exhibitions with exquisite Islamic artworks will be on display. The festival will also host 10 live performances from different regions of the world including the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In addition to these, a range of documentaries and animated and feature films, targeting children in particularly, will be screened during the festival.
The UAE Ministry of Culture is organising Al Burda Award and Festival with more than 30 partners.
Al Burda Award
The winners of Al Burda Award, one of the world’s highest cultural awards in the field of Islamic arts, will be announced during the festival.
Launched in 2004, Al Burda Award reinforces the UAE’s message of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among people across the world by highlighting the diversity of Islamic art and by bringing people together through artistic and cultural endeavours.
The award celebrates the diversity of Islamic culture and its artistic creativity and plays an important role in strengthening the UAE’s soft power. It shares the UAE’s cultural values and principles with the world while also strengthening its relations on a global level. It promotes cultural concepts and raises awareness about the rich Islamic art and culture thereby instilling pride in the authentic culture, ancient heritage, and tolerant Islamic cultural identity.
Al Burda Award has been bestowed upon 300 artists worldwide in Islamic arts, the winners are creative ambassadors from various countries of the world and are well-versed in Islamic history. Al Burda champions Islamic history and has been contributing to keeping the traditional art forms alive for our future generations.
Through the Al Burda Award platform, the Ministry of Culture and Youth aims to strengthen its partnerships at the local, regional and international levels with a three-pronged agenda, which includes cooperation with the founding partners to develop artistic works and productions, as well as publications related to the festival. Secondly, the award forges cooperation with several knowledge partners and thirdly it brings together renowned speakers and participants to contribute to the sessions.
Source: Emirates News Agency
