Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is set to welcome cultural leaders from around the world for the sixth edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi between 3rd and 5th March, 2024, under the theme “A Matter of Time” at Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) the event will bring together thought leaders, artists, and culture specialists to share inspiring stories, case studies, and world perspectives.

The sessions will kick off with a keynote address by Syrian poet and essayist Ali Ahmad Said Esber, also known as Adonis. He is the author of many collections of poetry. He is considered the leader of the modernist movement in contemporary Arabic poetry in the second half of the 20th century. He has been a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature and is the first Arab writer to win the Goethe Prize in 2011.

The Summit will inaugurate a new series titled “Ministerial Dialogue” jointly organised by DCT Abu Dhabi and UNESCO. This platform offers culture ministers the opportunity to share reflections with the global culture and creative sector on the outcomes of MONDIACULT 2022 and how they see their work paving the path towards MONDIACULT 2025. This session will feature Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, and Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO.

The event will also feature playwright and Nobel Prize of Literature winner, Wole Soyinka, in conversation with Manthia Diawara, Professor in the Department of Cinema Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

A panel discussion on “Sustainability and Decision Making” will navigate the complex decisions facing leaders, featuring insights from Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada; Moussa Mara, former Prime Minister of Mali; George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece, and Jigmi Thinley, former Prime Minister of Bhutan, all members of Club de Madrid. These leaders will share successful strategies from both national and international perspectives to advance the sustainability agenda.

Artist and curator Jitish Kallat, artist Himali Singh Soin, and artist Ella Saltmarshe, director of The Long Time Project, will sit down to discuss the concept of Deep Time, a scientific perspective that allows to engage through the lens of the geological history of the universe. This session is moderated by Alexandra Munroe, senior curator at large for Global Arts at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

A panel discussion on leading public agencies for culture in times of poly-crisis will delve into the transformative journey of public institutions in the cultural and creative sectors over recent years. It will highlight the dual challenge of maintaining internal efficiency while adapting to external pressures. The discussion will focus on strategies for positive impact, moving beyond outdated models, championing diversity, and fostering innovation.

Panellists include Kristin Danielsen, CEO of Arts and Culture Norway and Chair, of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA); Nicholas Moyo, Executive Director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe; Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director-General of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam, and Stephen Wainwright, Chief Executive, Creative New Zealand. The session will be moderated by Magdalena Moreno Mujica, Executive Director of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA).

There will also be a session on Artificial Intelligence (AI), where industry experts will pose the question, “Is the journey of AI worth the cost of human creativity?” Speakers Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of The Recording Academy; Hans Fraikin, Film and Television Commissioner; Cathy Hackl, prominent tech futurist and emerging tech executive, and Tom Wainwright, tech and media editor at The Economist, will discuss the different perspectives.

An extraordinary panel on music as a storyteller in TV and Film will feature high-profile names from the world of television and film. Mike Knobloch, President of Music and Publishing at NBCUniversal; Julia Michels, a Grammy-winning Music Supervisor; Alexandra Patsavas, Senior Director of Music, Creative and Production at Netflix, and Panos A Panay, President of the Recording Academy, will share their insights on the power of musical storytelling in TV and film through the discussion of scoring emotions, directorial vision, impact on storytelling, etc.