2 Emirati women win top French award

Two Emirati women have received a prestigious award from the French Ministry of Culture for their contribution to the success of the Emirati-French Cultural cooperation.

Hissa Al Daheri and Manal Ataya received the award “Chevaliers de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” (Knights of the Order of Arts and Letters) from Ludovic Pouille, the French Ambassador to the UAE, at a ceremony held at his residence in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of launching the second part of the EmiratiFrench Cultural Dialogue.

The ambassador said he was thrilled to honour the two women who played a major role with their work in the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Sharjah Museums Authority in art and cultural dialogue between France and the UAE.

Hissa Al Daheri, who started her career in 2010 in Abu Dhabi’s Tourism and Investment Company (TDIC), was appointed as deputy director of Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2016 and worked on the opening of the museum.

Manal Ataya, directorgeneral of the Sharjah Museums Authority, participated in the exhibition portraying “40 years of archaeological cooperation between France and the UAE” in 2017.