Abu Dhabi festival to celebrate Arabic language with music, film and art
Lebanese singer Marwan Khoury and Egyptian actress Mona Zaki will appear at a new Abu Dhabi festival celebrating the Arabic language.
Running until Monday at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Arabian Days is a free event aimed at culture lovers of all languages with a daily programme of concerts, film screenings, art exhibitions and literary discussions.
Organised by Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the festival also coincides with World Arabic Language Day on December 18. Ali Bin Tamim, chairman of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, says Arabian Days has been planned as an annual event. “I am proud to see the launch of what will become an annual opportunity for enthusiasts of the Arabic language and culture to come together and celebrate the past, present and future of this beautiful language,” he explains to The National.
“By supporting established and emerging talent working in the language today, Arabian Days will become a key cultural date in the Abu Dhabi calendar and help younger Arabic speakers and non-Arabic speakers to recognise its extraordinary creative potential and inspire them to create their own art.”
About 30 eclectic acts will perform during the event on an outdoor stage, with each performer chosen for the literary prowess of their work.
The biggest name on the bill is undoubtedly Khoury, who will close the festival on Monday. He will be joined by compatriot Abeer Nehme on Friday. A gifted vocalist and musicologist, Nehme’s sets touch upon everything from folk music to Islamic devotional songs and ancient Arabic lullabies. Preceding her that day is oud player and singer Anwar Abu Dragh, who will play traditional Iraqi folk songs.
Among the Emirati artists set to perform are opera singer and pianist Fatima Al Hashmi, who will play on Saturday, and soul singer Arqam the following day.
Palestinian singer Noel Kharman will perform her debut Abu Dhabi gig on Saturday.
Fans of visual arts will be catered for with an exhibition by Mahmoud Shubbar, hosted in Manarat Al Saadiyat’s main gallery space.
The Iraqi abstract artist will display paintings inspired by the life of historic Arab poet Antarah Ibn Shaddad.
A number of Arabic films will also be shown in collaboration with Cinema Akil. These include the Saturday screening of The Blue Whale, a 2014 drama set in an Egyptian hospital and based on the novel by Ahmed Mourad. In Fields of Words – Conversations with Samar Yazbek will be shown the following day. The 2022 documentary centres on the free-flowing conversation between Syrian writer Samar Yazbek and Lebanese filmmaker Rania Stephan as they reflect on the role of literature in times of conflict.
Writers, intellectuals and cultural historians will gather for a three-day conference exploring the diversity of the language through various mediums. Zaki will be on a panel discussing the evolution of Arabic theatre and, ahead of his concert, Khoury will sit down for a conversation about the stories behind some of his songs.
Lebanese poet Jawdat Fakhreddine will take part in discussions about the challenges educators face in teaching Arabic today. As part of their session, Emirati and Jordanian artists Najat Makki and Muntasir Al-Hamdan will delve into the distinctive attributes of Arabic calligraphy.
All conference sessions will have English translations with the full programme available online.
The Arabian Days festival also coincides with World Arabic Language Day, which is on December 18
Saeed Saeed
More information is available at alc.ae