The second edition of Al Burda Festival held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and organized by Ministry of Culture and Youth, concluded today.
Held under the theme Liminal: The Spaces between, Al Burda Awards and Festival took place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai from December 19 to 21. The festival promotes the values of openness, coexistence, and tolerance, and coincided with, the Arabic Language Summit and the 22nd Session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers.
Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “Al Burda Festival highlights the core concepts to help the revival of traditional and contemporary Islamic arts. It works with a four-pronged approach encompassing the transformation that deals with the changing concepts of Islamic arts and culture. Secondly, it highlights the discovery of the transformative power of Islamic arts and culture. Thirdly, the values of co-existence and tolerance reflected in Islamic arts and culture, and fourthly the importance of new voices in the field and giving them an outlet to be heard on a world stage.”
Her Excellency added: "Al Burda Award and Festival celebrates Islamic creativity in its various manifestations, starting with traditional methods of expression to exploring its future disciplines and explore the use of digital technology in culture and society. We saw how new technology can help us reimagine and reinvent traditional artforms in various categories including classical and Nabati poetry, calligraphy and design. These provide a platform for creating new forms of knowledge that enhance global dialogue and further the ideas of diversity, tolerance and coexistence.”
Commenting on Al Burda Award, Her Excellency said: “Al Burda promotes the core values of Islamic culture that played a central role throughout history and positions them at the forefront in the contemporary world. It offers a platform to make traditional arts relevant to today’s times and spotlights their role in forging a sustainable future for the Arab and Islamic nations as well as the entire humanity. It’s a platform for discovering the strengths of our cultural past and the power of diplomacy of our Islamic culture to help us carry forward the conversations of peace and coexistence.”
Her Excellency pointed out that “In the 16th edition of Al Burda Award we celebrated classical poetry, Nabati poetry, traditional and modern calligraphy, ornamentation, and typographic design and received 1557 entries in various categories from more than 56 countries around the world. We also welcomed Saudi Arabia as the Guest of Honour to grace the occasion. Since its first edition in 2004, the award has recognised more than 300 artists worldwide in various fields of Islamic arts.”
Al Burda Award and Festival has been instrumental in building partnerships with representatives of the Islamic culture and arts sectors from several countries including Australia, Canada, France, Britain, the United States of America, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Pakistan and Italy.
Al Burda Festival hosted more than 57 plenary sessions with a mix of panel discussions, lectures and masterclasses, dialogue sessions and workshops had more than 200 guests. The Ideas Lounge saw more than 150 participants in the various sessions and there were 15 exhibitions of Islamic works of art that ran throughout the three-day festival. In addition to this, there were 10 live performances from around the world including some standout programmes from the MENA region, as well as documentaries, feature films, along with several children's animation films. Visitors had a chance to experience the best of Islamic arts, Arabic calligraphy, Nabati poetry, and design arts, and enjoy carefully curated programmes and culturally inspired performances from different parts of the world.
Events and sessions
The Ministry of Culture and Youth organised Al Burda Award and Festival in partnership with more than 29 entities. World renowned speakers and thought leaders participated in the discussions both in-person and virtually and provided insights on the latest trends and ideas that will shape the future of Islamic arts.
His Excellency Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spoke about the universal nature of Islamic art and culture at the opening session of Al Burda Festival. He stressed the role of art and culture in fostering communication between civilizations. He also spoke at length about the historical importance of Islamic art and culture, and the role of Islamic cultural economy as a catalyst for economic innovation.
A panel discussion called Moving the Needle: Shifting Perceptions on Islamic Identity the session discussed how to change perceptions on Islamic arts and culture on a global scale? Despite the seismic changes and boundless creativity and innovation at the grassroots level, Islamic arts and culture continue to be perceived as traditional and inflexible. How can cultural leaders and creatives drive forward a challenge to move the needle? The panel discussed new initiatives that can open the door wider to new generations embracing their Islamic identity, and new ways to express it.
In the session City Life: The Transformation of Islamic Spaces, the panellists discussed how spaces that were designed centuries ago in the Islamic architectural vernacular adapt to contemporary urban spaces? In some countries, cities are evolving with historical Islamic spaces in mind, as architects and urban planners rethink, revitalize, and repurpose them into a new narrative. The panel discussed the right formula to keep Islamic spaces multifunctional and accessible to wider audiences.
A session entitled Narrating the Spaces Between Through Poetry discussed the current state of literature in the Muslim world and how it can be maintained as a cornerstone of culture.
The sessions in the Ideas Lounge featured dialogues and discussions on the main topics that intersect with traditions, cultural heritage, advanced technology, entrepreneurship, and authentic Islamic arts and culture.
Al Burda Festival was attended by 3,780 visitors, featured performances and films inspired by the Muslim world, telling inspiring stories rooted in the history of the region, targeting audiences of various interests and age-groups including children. There was a range of animations, documentaries, feature films, as well exhibitions showcasing Islamic decoration, Arabic calligraphy, poetry and design and art.
Al Burda Award
The Ministry of Culture and Youth announced the names of the winners in various categories of the 16th edition of Al Burda Award in an artistic evening that celebrated Islamic arts at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai.
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