Abu Dhabi: A programme that trained 24 Emirati students to act as ambassadors for Louvre Abu Dhabi concluded with a ceremony attended by dignitaries at Saadiyat Al Manarat on Wednesday evening.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi Student Ambassador Programme trained students from seven different universities from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to become spokespersons for the much-anticipated museum.
The ceremony was attended by Noora Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs; Saif Saeed Ghobash, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi); and Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines, Al Kaabi said, “The ambassadors are young, they are from the UAE and they are spreading awareness about the Louvre.”
“At the end of the day, it is so important for us that when we witness the opening of the Louvre, we also witness Emiratis talking about the Louvre and being the bridge between cultures, whether they are visitors coming to Abu Dhabi or they are UAE nationals, and I think it will inspire other youths to follow in their footsteps,” she added.
The students who came from a diverse range of undergraduate and post-graduate programmes celebrated the occasion with their families and reminisced over what they had learnt.
“I think I am walking away enlightened, informed and most importantly grateful for all the opportunities that Louvre Abu Dhabi has provided me,” said Fatima Karmostaji, a 21-year-old undergraduate student majoring in Communication and Media Science at Zayed University (Abu Dhabi).
“My mind is more open to the world and other cultures,” she added.
Ahmad Al Zarouni, 22-year-old undergraduate student majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Khalifa University, said, “The course has had such a huge impact on me. I have an engineering background and now I am seriously thinking about doing something with the system engineering aspects of museums.”
Shamma Al Bastaki, 20-year-old undergraduate student double majoring in Social Research and Public Policy, and Literature at New York University, said, “On a personal level, I gained a lot of team work skills. I gained a lot of confidence working with a team of people from such diverse backgrounds and walks of lives and finding the links that connect us to promote this revolutionary museum.”
The programme ran a number of activities and training sessions including an etching workshop with the education team inspired by Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, familiarising the ambassadors with the museum’s artworks and artefacts.
The ambassadors took part in media training and strategy sessions, and a collections management presentation on handling of artworks according to international standards. There was also a marketing strategy training, giving the ambassadors an opportunity to share their creative ideas on promoting Louvre Abu Dhabi.
