With the participation of 30 specialists in ethnic music and anthropology from 21 countries Abu Dhabi, October 3rd and 4th, 2009 A concert Friday night at the Emirates Palace as part of the Centre’s first events With the conclusion of the meetings of UNESCO on intangible heritage Abu Dhabi, 30th Sept. 2009 (WAM) -- Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has announced the launch of "Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam", to be officially opened within two years, as a follow-up to implementing the strategy plan of the Authority (2008-2012).
The Centre will be officially announced during the Academic and Cultural Conference organized by the Cultural Centre in Al Ain under the title "Why Safeguard Our Musical Heritage for the Future?" on next Saturday and Sunday at the Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi.
Performing on this occasion, are groups and bands from of Albania, Indonesia, Nigeria who will make distinctive shows Friday night at the Emirates Palace as part of the closing ceremony of the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is hosted by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage held from September 28 until October 2 2009, with the participation of representatives of 114 countries. The shows reflect the rich musical heritage of Islam in Asia, Europe and Africa.
Mazrouei said that the "Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam" is a research Centre part of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, and was established in the framework of the tireless efforts made by the Authority to make a cultural path, to help reach a better level of understanding and excellence of taste for Muslim Arab UAE culture at the local and global levels.
Mazrouei stated that the establishment of the Centre is part of a series of important cultural projects, which began by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage to implement in the city of Al Ain, stressing that achieving the right balance between preserving our culture and deeply-rooted heritage, and keeping up with the rapid pace of development, will remain one of the major challenges of the future of the cultural environment in the region.
He emphasized the paradigm shift that began taking place in the cultural movement in the city of Al Ain since the re-revival of the Jahili Fort, which was converted into a shining cultural oasis in December 2008 to mark the National Day of the UAE, in the framework of the revitalization of Al Ain Oasis and its historical sites and activating their role of culture and tourism, in order to follow up the implementation of the Authority’s strategy to protect the cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi from loss and oblivion.
For his part, Dr. Sami Al Masri, Deputy Director General for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Director of Strategic Planning in the Authority, said that the main objectives of Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam include: - To undertake, encourage and sponsor research in the field of music and ethnomusicology within the focus area of the Centre; -To program events and activities relating to the fields of competence and work of the Centre; -To document, collect and archive music and instruments relating to the subject matter of the Centre; -To disseminate knowledge about the research and knowledge on the subject matter of the Centre; -To develop significant and effective outreach programs in order to propagate understanding and appreciation of music among the community and the world at large.
The conference will bring together 30 of the most eminent musicologists, ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, researchers and scholars, from 21 countries, to discuss 6 timely topics : What to safeguard , The ethics of safeguarding , Endangered or lost tradition , Examples of successful safeguarding. Best practices , Safeguarding in changing social cultural context , Questions about revitalization .
On the evening of Saturday, October 3rd, a concert will be presented at the Cultural Foundation Centre Theatre.
This concert was one of the major events of the opening of Damascus 2008 Cultural Capital of the Arab World when it was presented at the famous Alhambra Palace in Granada (Spain) illustrating the Andalusian influence on music and poetry in Spain.
Under the title of Houna yanamou qalbi, Here lies my heart, the Syrian composer, ?oud player and singer Waed Bouhassoun will present poems of the 11th century Andalusian poets Ibn Zaydoun and Wallada, while the flamenco singer Curro Pi?ana accompanied by Carlos Pi?ana on the guitar, and by Miguel Angel Orengo on the cajun will sing poems of Ibn ?Arabi (born in Murcia in 1165 and died in Damascus in 1240).
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