In this episode of The Agenda, Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi, discusses how Abu Dhabi's expanding art collections and museums are shaping its global cultural and educational legacy.
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00:00Hello and welcome to The Agenda. I'm Jane Witherspoon and I'm delighted today to be joined by
00:13Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi with the support of the
00:20Department of Culture and Tourism continues to position itself as a world leading cultural
00:27center. Can you begin by telling me about Abu Dhabi's commitment to creating a cultural and
00:34artistic legacy? We believe that culture is the building blocks of any forward-thinking society.
00:39We believe it is principle for our youth. Hence, these investments that we're doing in culture,
00:44whether it's in museums or educational programs or exhibits and etc., they're predominantly done
00:51really as an educating force. Because we believe understanding somebody else's culture, your
00:57culture, your history, others' history, puts you in a position to really look at this world from a
01:02global perspective. One of the cultural highlights here is the Abu Dhabi collection. Now that is going
01:07to be added to with a very exciting announcement and that is the Abu Dhabi masterpieces collection.
01:15Can you tell me about the relevance of this and why it's so exciting to be bringing this to Abu Dhabi?
01:20So it's imperative for us that collections are shared with the world. And this was the
01:26principle thinking of collecting. You know, when we looked at creating collections that give you a
01:32glimpse of the history of art throughout the world, throughout different regions, it's imperative for
01:38us that we collect things that we can host in our museums that can be showcased for the vast audience,
01:45where the vast audience can come, see something either for the first time, see something side by side,
01:50by the same artist, see something within the same collective, and give them a perspective that they have never seen.
01:56Why is it important for culture to drive and support social change, and in particular as well, education?
02:04That's really important. When I visit the museums here in Abu Dhabi and see youth consume what they've just seen in a way that is so imaginative and so beautiful to see, you see that shimmer in their eyes, you see the creative juices running through their brain, seeing things and saying, now I can create.
02:24And, you know, we here in Abu Dhabi believe in the power of creation. And the fact of the matter is, focusing these institutions as educational institutions, focusing that these institutions have a direct link to school curriculars, whether through art history, through art programs, through different lessons throughout the day, you're always infused with the power of art.
02:46Mohamed, thank you so much for joining us on the agenda on Euronews today. Pleasure, as always, to talk to you.
02:51Always a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much.
02:52Thank you so much for joining us.