Celebration of words, music, film begins
abu dhabi — Hay Festival Abu Dhabi’s four-day celebration of words, music and film officially opened on Tuesday at Manarat Al Saadiyat, with award-winning writers, journalists, scientists, historians and artists from around the world coming together for the event.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, who was at the special opening ceremony, hailed how the festival would bring forth knowledge and ideas that can help build a better world.
“The Hay Festival Abu Dhabi gives us marvellous opportunities to relate to one another in a way that will have a profound impact on our communities and on our world. At this wonderful festival of knowledge and ideas we have the opportunity ... to use our ability to innovate, our shared human values to strengthen our communities, and our creativity to design a future,” Sheikh Nahyan said.
On the opening day, a showstopping performance from the leading UK contemporary dance group 2Faced Dance Company celebrated the spirit of imagination, dialogue and adventure that inspires the festival.
Peter Florence, Hay Festival director, said: “It’s wonderful to open our doors to Hay Festival Abu Dhabi for the first time. Over the next four days we have a unique opportunity to meet and share stories, and to imagine the world. Our platform will gather inspiring voices from many languages in open conversation, and through such a meeting place the world of tomorrow might be shaped.”
Agenda-setting conversations from some of the world’s finest
Peter Florence,
Our platform will gather inspiring voices from many languages, and through such a meeting place the world of tomorrow might be shaped.”
festival director writers and liveliest minds will address the world. Among the speakers lined up are Nigerian Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka, Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, Filipino writer Miguel Syjuco, and two 2019 Booker Prize winners: Jokha Alharthi from Oman and British writer Bernardine Evaristo.