A week of Emirati arts, films and poetry at Cultural Foundation

The Cultural Foundation in the capital is opened for one week only during the ongoing Qasr Al Hosn festival. Until March 1, Abu Dhabi’s most iconic cultural building will have a programme inspired by the building’s initial purpose: learning, performing and creating.

Workshops of traditional Emirati arts are taking place in the main hall, while the exterior amphitheatre has been set for film and poetry. A marathon of poetry reading by UAE poets will take place daily, recalling memories and moments that the building witnessed in the past.

The programme also includes a selection of documentaries, performance films and animated shorts showcasing unique narratives on the history and traditions of UAE. “Qasr Al Hosn Festival gives visitors the opportunity to be part of the Cultural Foundation conservation programme. Our aim is to engage with the community and associate them to the conservation process,” said Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA).

Built in 1981, the foundation is a modern building with elegant Islamic style arches.

It was here the first art film was screened for the public, in a video room, while its theatre hosted some of the first classical music concerts.

Right next to Al Hosn Fort, the building was closed in 2009 to allow for the preliminary works for the Qasr Al Hosn conservation project to commence.

The two buildings form the Qasr Al Hosn Cultural Quarter, and a conservation masterplan is underway in order to create a holistic cultural experience, reconnecting the pre-oil historic fort, the modern cultural heritage building and Abu Dhabi. For the first time this year, during the festival, parts of both iconic buildings are opened to the public.

“There are many people in Abu Dhabi who have fantastic memories of the Cultural Foundation, who saw one of their first concerts and theatrical performances here — we do not want to drastically modernise the site, we want to retain that sense of nostalgia. This will be a reinstatement of the original, rather than a wholesale adaptation,” added Shaikh Sultan.

Apart from performing and visual arts, the Cultural Foundation was also home to the National Library of Abu Dhabi, and so during the festival a selection of books about Emirati culture and heritage are exhibited here.

In its interior courtyard, Gahwa, a contemporary Emirati café is offering authentic Emirati coffee. — silvia@khaleejtimes.com