Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay gave a keynote address in the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay gave a keynote address in the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay gave a keynote address in the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay gave a keynote address in the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.

DCT Abu Dhabi and Unesco to initiate global study on the pandemic’s effect on cultural industry


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

A new study will be launched to analyse the impact of the pandemic on global cultural sectors. The news was announced on the opening day of the Cultural Summit Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Held online until Wednesday, and organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the annual event bring global experts in the fields of design, heritage, media, public policy, technology and business for a series of speeches, panel discussions, case studies, artist talks and performances.

In her keynote address, Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay said the agency teamed up with DCT Abu Dhabi for a wide-ranging investigation of Covid-19's damage to the industry and to outline measures for its recovery.

“We first need to understand it, to measure it. This is an essential step because in many respects, the scope of the crisis makes it difficult to quantify,” she said.

“And that's why we decided to launch with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, a global study on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the cultural economy.”

Azoulay laid out in stark terms how the cultural sector has been haemorrhaging financially and creatively owing to social restrictions caused by the pandemic.

"We need culture more than ever, and at the same time, culture needs us more than ever because the entire sector is suffering. Following the closure of concert halls, theatres, bookstores, cinemas, the royalties collected by creators could have dropped by 35 per cent in 2020, that's €3.5 billion loss globally," she said.

“And indeed culture is probably one of the sectors most effected by Covid-19 – maybe the most after the airline industry – and behind these figures, there are millions of disrupted lives with many professionals left to fend for themselves.”

While the damage is all too real, Azoulay said the cultural sector’s contribution should not only be viewed through an economic framework.

The lack of a functioning arts industry carries significant societal effects.

"Recovery is therefore an anthropological and economy necessity," she said. "Its impact and influence are often underestimated. It is also a necessity for peace because culture brings people together closer by building bridges and by creating meaning for all these reasons.”

The case for culture

It is a sentiment echoed by DCT Abu Dhabi chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak.

In his summit address, he highlighted the mental health crisis caused by a lack of exposure to arts and cultural experiences.

"We are understanding collectively, more than ever, that culture is a solution for humanity," he said.

"During this pandemic we saw first-hand the effect on mental health. It has been quite devastating and the lasting impressions on this will last for a long time. The medicine for this is culture."

Al Mubarak finished his speech by challenging attendees to make a more vigorous case for the importance of culture.

“Can we create a new value proposition for culture? A proposition that communicates how central culture is in responding to our new realities?" he said.

"This pandemic will eventually be over and we just need to make sure, right now, the building blocks that maybe in the past were not set as strong as they should, can now be set in stone.

“This is not for ourselves but for future generations and to make sure the problems we have faced, they will never face.”

Culture Summit Abu Dhabi runs until Wednesday. Attendance is free and open to the public. Registration is live on the website.

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Premier League results

Saturday

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1

Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1

Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0

Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3

Manchester United 3 Southampton 2

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0

West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0

Sunday

Watford 2 Leicester City 1

Fulham 1 Chelsea 2

Everton 0 Liverpool 0

Key developments

All times UTC 4

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

RESULTS
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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to report a beggar

Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)

Dubai – Call 800243

Sharjah – Call 065632222

Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372

Ajman – Call 067401616

Umm Al Quwain – Call 999

Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

UAE v Zimbabwe A

Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs

Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5