The arts and culture sector is far from immune as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the world economy.
In the UAE, museums and cultural sites, including Louvre Abu Dhabi and Jameel Arts Centre have had to close their doors to help stop the spread of the virus; while Alserkal Avenue and Art Dubai are now relying on digital platforms to spur sales for contemporary art galleries.
In response, Dubai Culture Authority and Art Dubai Group have partnered to launch the Dubai Ideathon. The new online hub has put out an open call for ideas that can support cultural industries during the crisis.
"The biggest challenge is to be able to maintain and protect the progress that has been achieved in the sector over the past 15 years," said a spokesperson from the Art Dubai Group. "This community-based approach guarantees contextual and tailored solutions for the local context."
The initiative is open to all, and the public can submit their ideas by filling out the application form on the Dubai Ideathon website.
Dubai Ideathon has identified six specific challenges that participants can address in their proposals.
These include human capital, financial stability, business continuity and sustained creative production. Such issues primarily affect SMEs and freelancers, which make up the majority of the sector.
The organisers have outlined the challenges based on vital concerns, such as the protection of jobs and employees; collaborations between public and private identities for support; cost reduction for companies; and ways to build revenue from digital strategies.
"We are in conversations with the creative community to better understand the challenges, priorities and how we can support with real solutions," said a spokesperson from Dubai Culture. "Ideathon Dubai is one of the steps we took to engage with the community to listen to them but we have made it our priority to address this issue on a wide scale and to help the creative community to thrive even in times of crisis."
How it works
Dubai Ideathon comes in three phases.
The first is the open call, which is open from Thursday to Saturday, April 2 to 4.
The second phase involves six ideation sessions with selected participants who will be categorised according to how they have addressed the aforementioned challenges.
The sessions will be facilitated by members of Atolye, a company that focuses on developing strategies around design and entrepreneurship.
These discussions will run from Tuesday to Wednesday, April 7 to 8.
In the final phase, the proposed solutions will be presented to industry experts in order to develop ways to execute them.
The launch of the Dubai Ideathon follows an initial measure of support by the The Ministry of Foreign Affairs's Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy, which purchased Dh1.5 million worth of art by emerging and established Emirati artists.
Speaking of the initiative, Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh said “With the cancellation of the many art events that were scheduled to take place this season, we wanted to send a message of solidarity to our artists." He added that the move is an acknowledgment that art is a "critical part of national identity."
Participants can submit their ideas on the Dubai Ideathon website, dubai-ideathon.com
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
