Abu Dhabi: The UK-UAE Year of Creative Collaboration (UK-UAE 2017) has drawn to an end, having engaged with close to 230,000 members of the public across the UAE.
Organised by the British Council and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Dubai Culture and the British Embassy in the UAE, the event involved 100 British and Emirati organisations.
A long list of events were on offer for participants including cultural, educational and scientific exhibitions, musical and theatrical performances, film screenings, conferences, showcases, masterclasses and workshops.
Noora Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, said in a statement that the event helped bridge cultures and understanding.
“Over the past year a rich cultural exchange between our two countries has started new conversations and created opportunities for artists, cultural professionals, teachers and students to exchange knowledge and skills. It is through such collaborations that we help develop an understanding of cultures across borders and relationships across the cultural sector. We look forward to building on this year with future collaboration that will bring creatives from both nations together to make new innovative works and inspire audiences and the younger generation,” Al Kaabi said.
Philip Parham, British Ambassador to the UAE, said: “We truly have made an impact in the areas which mattered most to us such as in stimulating and catalysing new collaboration across the cultural sector between the UK and the UAE, in providing opportunities to inspire the next generation and in demonstrating inclusion in action. Working alongside our British and Emirati partners, the rich public programme over the past year has helped to cement and enrich the ties between our two nations. New avenues of cultural dialogue have been opened, and it is our hope that these new partnerships and collaborations are taken forward and nurtured, so that the UK and UAE’s special relationship may continue to flourish.”
Gavin Anderson, director UAE, British Council, said he was incredibly pleased with event.
“From January 2017 to March 2018, 50 projects, including 270 events in all seven emirates have taken place in the UAE as part of UK-UAE 2017. Over 7,500 people participated in talks, workshops or events; and a further estimated 230,000 attended exhibitions, performances, film screenings or festivals. One of our main themes was ‘Community’ and we are delighted that having such a varied programme, ranging from art to science, enabled us to reach as diverse and wide ranging an audience across the whole country.”
