Al Ain’s diverse programme of cultural activities announced

An annual programme of cultural events in Al Ain that provide visitors and residents with a culturally-enriched experience for the coming year, was announced on Monday.

Organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the extensive programme will start on January 26 and run on weekends throughout 2017 with the aim to showcase Al Ain as the cultural heartland of the Abu Dhabi emirate and the home to the UAE’s only Unesco World Heritage site.

A host of community engagement events, exhibitions, concerts and festivals will be part of the programme.

Al Ain Oasis will host a diverse range of programmes, including a seasonal farmers’ market, hands-on arts and handicraft workshops, storytelling, outdoor films, traditional Emirati performances and a year-round photography programme. The activities will run from January through April before returning again in October, November and December.

My Old House Bus Tours will visit old homes, oases, historical and cultural sites of Al Ain, accompanied by archaeologists and conservators from TCA Abu Dhabi.

Al Ain Palace Museum will host a seasonal outdoor programme, My Heritage, My Responsibility, that will feature different elements of the intangible heritage of the UAE, such as traditional medicine, local dialects and etymology, adornments and cuisine.

The Multaqa Zayed National Museum’s annual discussions will explore topics that weave together the cultural tapestry of the UAE charting the Zayed National Museum’s development, and will be held at Al Jahili Fort and Qasr Al Muwaiji.

Qasr Al Muwaiji will celebrate the nation’s poets and writers in collaboration with the Academy of Poetry. Each month, a rich performing arts programme will be presented in the palace courtyard, and will include poetry and literary readings on national history.

Qasr Al Muwaiji will also host two concerts under the title of Emirati Melodies that highlights the musical heritage of Al Ain region, and UAE Voices, a choral singing group performance inspired by the poems of late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Abu Dhabi Classics in Al Ain will present the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse at the UAE University, in May. Other performances to be announced later in the year.

A unique series of concerts at Al Jahili Fort will feature young Emiratis who will sing melodies from the 50s, 60s and 70s and pay tribute to their forefathers.

Al Jahili Fort will also host Bartabas: An Equestrian Performance, inspired by equestrian arts and traditions, and bringing horsemen and horses from the Versailles Academy of Equestrian Arts. The performance forms part of the Emirati-French Cultural Programme which was created to celebrate the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Several exhibitions and festivals will also be held to celebrate the history of the UAE, and present Emirati contemporary visual arts and culture. Two collaborative exhibitions Trucial Scouts and Numismatics of the UAE will be held at Al Jahili Fort.

Al Qattara Arts Centre will host the works of Emirati artists from across the UAE in a community exhibition of mixed media arts, titled Collage, and a comic art exhibition featuring illustrations, animations and pop art.

In December, the Abu Dhabi Food Festival — the annual celebration of the emirate’s culinary excellence — will return to various sites in Al Ain.

The fourth edition of the Traditional Handicrafts Festival will be held in November, providing visitors with a taste of Emirati heritage at Souq Al Qattara.

Abu Dhabi Art will present Interventions, a series of on-site art installations, displaying contemporary works that interact with the surrounding historical architecture of Al Ain and its community.

Visitors to Al Ain museums and historic sites can also join guided tours of the venues with local experts and educators.

A robust photography programme and series of master classes will be organised throughout the year and will be held at a number of venues including Al Ain Oasis.

The programme has been curated to support the Unesco theme ‘Protecting our Heritage and Fostering Creativity’.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi said: “Today, Al Ain celebrates a vibrant cultural scene, bridging a rich history with diverse forms of contemporary practices, preserving intangible heritage gems. Al Ain is the only city in the UAE which has attained Unesco World Heritage status and has played a vitally important role in the development of the country. The engaging series of activities planned will translate the multiple layers of the city for residents and visitors to explore, understand and enjoy.”

Further details and a full list of events and timings can be found at visitalain.

source: GULF NEWS