Abu Dhabi: India was declared as the “Guest of Honour Country” for the prestigious 15th Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF), to be held in March 2018 in Abu Dhabi, at a packed press conference held at the Emirates Palace Auditorium on November 27.
The festival will be held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance. The ADF 2018 will be a month long festival celebrating art and culture. The selection of India as “Guest of Honour Country” is significant as 2018 is being celebrated as the “Year of Zayed.” The ADF 2018 will gather more than 500 international artistes and 40 composers from 30 countries.
Indian artistes of eminence will participate at the event, the highlights of which are:
• “The Merchants of Bollywood,” an Indian theatrical extravaganza
• “We The Living”, a classical Indian dance inspired by Rumi’s “The Human Being” by Tanusree Shankar Dance Academy
• Performance of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, one of the 20th century’s greatest masters of Sarod
• Workshops by Gilles Chuyen, who has been trained in France in folk, modern ballet and contemporary dance styles and as choreographer and works extensively with Bollywood
• Collaboration between Rajeev Kumar and UAE’s Mohammed Mandi, both eminent calligraphists, from India and UAE respectively
• Umm AL Emarat Park will showcase “The Raghu Dixit Project” one of India’s most exciting live acts with some of the finest musicians.
Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE stated, “It is a matter of pride that India has been chosen as the Guest of Honour for the 2018 edition of Abu Dhabi Festival. We look forward to working closely with Her Excellency Huda AlKhamis-Kanoo and her team to bring some of the finest elements of Indian culture to the arts loving people of Abu Dhabi.” Speaking about India’s role as Guest of Honour, Ambassador Suri continued, “The cultural effort that India or the Indian community has made in this country has principally been directed towards the Indian community. By collaborating with the ADF 2018, we hope to supplement these efforts to take Indian culture mainstream and make sure that there is a much better understanding of an India beyond Bollywood. That is why the focus is on showcasing some of India’s magnificent diversity.” He hoped that the ADF 2018 would provide an opportunity to non-Indians to enjoy Indian culture and Indians to enjoy cultures of many other participating countries.
