Latest news with #CultureSummit
New Statesman
07-05-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Reframing the private school debate
Photo by Laurence Berger / Getty Images I'm not a huge fan of the traditional debate but I recently agreed to do one for the New Statesman at the Cambridge Literary Festival. The motion was: 'This house believes private schools should be abolished.' I was on the opposing side which I knew would be a hard sell – especially to a Cambridge audience – and, alas, our side lost. For me, this is a debate about education for all rather than the way it's often pitched, as a battle between rich and poor. Private schools serve a wide range of children with huge benefits to society as a whole, but they are easy targets in a culture war where both children and their parents are derided for holding on to entitlement rather than having a conscience. We have all kinds of inequalities in British society that keep people apart and reduce life chances for many, but most neither start nor stop with private schools. Perhaps if we invested more in levelling up educational standards, resources and discipline in the state sector, and did everything to help all young people realise their potential, we might stop using private schools as a political football. When salvation comes I've just spent a few fun days at Abu Dhabi's Culture Summit. Many of the discussions and keynotes explored the rapidly growing impact of AI. I know very little about AI, but I do wonder what people mean when they claim that generative AI will be our salvation: what is this technology supposed to be saving us from? There was a general sense at the summit that AI will have all the answers, but I wondered if the idea of this 'posthuman' future shouldn't make us pause, even tremble a little. My question is: if AI superintelligence can outperform humans in everything it does, what is the added value of being human? If humanity can be so easily copied, then in the world of culture and the arts authenticity will cease to matter, and we will go from being creators to intellectual-property holders. I don't disagree that AI is transformative, but as I listened to the speakers in Abu Dhabi, I wondered whether the value of being human is that our creativity comes from our desires and vulnerabilities, from our need to feel emotional and intellectual fulfilment. Unlike AI, we create because we have to. A chapter ends After 13 years, I'm leaving Edinburgh University this summer. I can't decide what to do with the books in my office. Ideally, I would bring them all home,but I can't, and, sentimental attachment aside, I want other people to be able to read them. So, I've decided to sell a few hundred of my collection to a European bookseller. In a world of increasing digitisation, there's a certain romance in holding on to real books. I have never had a Kindle because opening and flicking through pages is uniquely comforting in moments of solitude. There's a quiet pride in building up a library over the years and simply staring at the shelves, which reflect so much of your life. Saying goodbye to my books will feel like saying goodbye to a part of me. But if owning books is a privilege, being able to share them with others is no less of a joy. Family feuds Whatever you think of Prince Harry's recent BBC interview in which he admitted to wanting reconciliation with his family, we all know healing such a rift is hard. You can feel close to your brothers and sisters one day and barely speak to them the next. And the longer the silence and avoidance goes on, the harder it is to reach out. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Most of us struggle to get past the hurt or betrayal. But I also think that, rather than worrying about forgiveness, sometimes there's a value in not minimising the offence but choosing to protect yourself. Yes, I know life is short and family feuds are often pointless, but in my experience, rushing to forgive someone who won't accept some accountability never really mends a broken relationship. 'My most beautiful masterpiece' At what age does going to the garden centre become the number one activity on a sunny bank holiday weekend? Perhaps somewhere around our early fifties? Claude Monet said: 'My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.' The quiet pleasure of pottering in our garden, enjoying the freshly cut grass and the gorgeous colours of spring flowers maybe the midlife love story we all need. Mona Siddiqui is a broadcaster and professor of Islamic and interreligious studies at the University of Edinburgh [See also: Faith is a half-formed thing] Related
Mail & Guardian
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
The Soul in the machine: Holding onto our humanity in a tech-driven world
The human thread: South African designer Thebe Magugu was a speaker at the Abu Dhabi Culture Summit. I didn't know much about Abu Dhabi when I stepped off the plane at Zayed International Airport. I knew that it was both the capital of the emirate with which it shares its name and of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a whole. But what I discovered was how much serious money Abu Dhabi is investing in positioning itself as a global centre of arts and culture. While I was in the city, I visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, named after the famous museum in Paris, and made possible through an agreement between the UAE and France. The summit took place in a precinct shared by Berklee Abu Dhabi, the first Middle Eastern outpost of the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the US, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, named after the famed New York art museum, is under construction. The Culture Summit is just one event on the Abu Dhabi arts calendar. The city was chosen by Unesco to host International Jazz Day this year, a celebration of music and artistic freedom, which is held annually on 30 April. Multiple Grammy-winning jazz icon Herbie Hancock led an all-star line-up of some of the most celebrated figures in jazz music for a special concert at Etihad Arena. The Abu Dhabi Culture Summit — running since 2017 and on its seventh edition — is one aspect of that effort. It's a way to bring together an exceptional collective of creative thinkers, decision-makers, artists, designers, change-makers and leaders from the cultural and creative sectors. Musicians perform at the event Organised by the UAE's department of culture and tourism, the goal of the annual event is to identify ways in which culture can transform societies and communities worldwide — and turn these ideas into actions and solutions. The theme for this year 'Culture for Humanity and Beyond' was apparently inspired by a speech delivered by the Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka at last year's edition in which he opined that we are moving toward 'the era of a post-human civilisation'. Not being familiar with the speech myself, I'm not sure what he meant, but judging by the programme of the 2025 summit, it probably had a lot to do with fears around the rapid advancement of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). Indeed, there were plenty of discussions about how AI will affect — and is already affecting — how we navigate the world but the main thing I took away was that you can't innovate beyond humanity. No matter how much we progress technologically, the distinctly human elements of creativity, connection and culture will always be the things that make life meaningful. We don't go to the Louvre to see works generated by ChatGPT or DeepSeek. We go there to connect to the personal stories and histories of artists who create timeless works and the cultures and heritages that they capture for posterity. AI can be a useful tool but it's no replacement for humanity. I had all this in the back of my mind when I spoke to Thebe Magugu, who was also attending the summit for the first time, but as a speaker. The award-winning South African creative director and designer is a perfect example of that irreplaceable human element when he describes using fashion as a 'Trojan horse' for storytelling. Chair of the Abu Dhabi department of culture and tourism Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak Magugu won Louis Vuitton's LVMH Prize in 2019; has collaborated with brands like Dior, Adidas and Valentino and has opened his own retail space and showroom, called Magugu House, in Johannesburg. It was named among Time Magazine's best places in the world last year. 'I hadn't heard about the summit before I was invited, either,' he tells me during a quick conversation at the Manarat Al Saadiyat, the multi-purpose venue for the event. His invitation had come through the Design Museum in London, which Magugu has collaborated with and is one of the summit's partner organisations. 'When I started my brand, its premise was essentially 'Afro-encyclopaedic fashion',' he explains. 'So, capturing key histories, people's cultures, that run the risk of being forgotten but forever immortalised through the power of cloth. Because I always think that fashion is an incredibly intelligent industry, and people not familiar with it seem to think that it's superficial and it doesn't have any deeper meaning. 'But, actually, how I participate with fashion is using it as a Trojan horse to tell our stories. 'And I think, as I started developing the brand or thinking about the brand early, before it even started, it was this idea that the West — whether it's Europe or America — has documented its own story and history quite deeply. But who's telling our story?' 'I think it's so critical that we, as Africans, tell our stories instead of leaving it to someone else. How I do it, instead of in words, is through fashion,' he says. And I think, by pure virtue of someone wearing my clothes, whether they're here in the UAE or in Japan or wherever they are, they're telling our story without even saying a word.' During the summit, Magugu chatted with Cher Potter, deputy editor-in-chief of the London Design Museum's Future Observatory Journal, about the creative ethos of his work. Magugu went through all the collections he has done and how they incorporate spirituality, culture and heritage. An Emirati traditional performance 'I was explaining one of my collections, Alchemy, where I interviewed spiritual healers back home, and I was just talking about the importance of ancestral veneration which, in Western terms, is simple gratitude,' he says. Magugu explained how traditional healers like Noentla Khumalo had inspired the collection. He invited her to his studio where she threw her bones of divination on the floor. He photographed that and printed it on silk georgette fabric, from which a pleated skirt was made. 'That's how you modernise culture, in a lot of ways. And I feel like people resonated with that so much — this idea that you can show where you're from without it being literal. You know, it can be interpreted in a really beautiful, global way.' That creative connection between history, spirituality and fashion is distinctly human in the best possible way and it reminds us of that often intangible, but essential, characteristic that is not easily replicated by technology. 'It's been incredible and also quite validating that people really resonate with the approach of my brand,' Magugu says. 'And I think people gravitate to that because the world actually needs that right now. 'As things sort of go faster and faster, especially exacerbated through social media and other technology, people are feeling lost in a lot of ways. And I feel like connecting to something higher is something everyone is actually craving right now.' What Abu Dhabi's Culture Summit ultimately reveals is even as we race into an era shaped by unprecedented technological advancement, it is humanity — expressed through art, music, fashion, storytelling and culture — that remains our greatest asset. Whether through the ancestral echoes in Thebe Magugu's designs or the global gatherings of minds seeking to preserve and progress our shared heritage, the message is clear — technology can simulate, support, and even astonish, but it cannot replace the soul. In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and automation, it's the emotional depth, historical awareness and spiritual resonance of human creativity that continues to ground us — and that, above all, will carry us forward.
Arab News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Timur Bekmambetov pick eight UAE stories to lead screenlife rollout
ABU DHABI: Ben Ross, CEO of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, joined Kazakh-Russian film director and producer Timur Bekmambetov on Tuesday at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi to discuss screenlife, a pioneering format developed by Bekmambetov that is coming to the region for the first time. Screenlife is a style of filmmaking where the entire story takes place on a digital screen — through text messages, video calls, social media and other everyday apps — reflecting how people communicate in today's tech-driven world. Notable examples include the horror film 'Unfriended' (2014) and the mystery thriller 'Searching' (2018). Ben Ross (L) and Timur Bekmambetov (R) at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. (AN Photo by Mohamed Fawzy) In the session, Ross and Bekmambetov announced that they have selected eight stories from UAE filmmakers to bring to life after the launch of the Screenlife Program in June 2024, which aims to help UAE citizens and residents master this new format and create authentic narratives with global resonance. 'We were drawn to it because it is so innovative and so forward-thinking,' Ross told Arab News. 'We enjoyed the screenlife movies, and it just felt like a natural step to evolve it into this region.' Bekmambetov emphasized the universality of digital communication. 'The digital world is the same universally. There is a different cultural element … but every family has a WhatsApp chat with hundreds of people on it. My family in Kazakhstan have one, and the internet in Abu Dhabi is the same,' he told Arab News. He said that the format is 'socially very impactful' and can give voice to those often left out of traditional cinema. 'Because it costs nothing, you can tell stories about your individual life with no money. It will help us to engage very different storytellers.' Ross noted that the selected projects reflect a wide range of stories. 'Every story that we have chosen ... stood out in its own way. There's a huge variety being told — it's not formulaic.' Bekmambetov also noted that Muslim women lead very different lifestyles, saying, 'maybe screenlife will bring their stories to life,' to which Ross added that some of the stories currently in development already do.
Al Etihad
29-04-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Kazakh Minister of Culture hails UAE as global cultural model
29 Apr 2025 12:23 ABU DHABI (WAM)Aida Balayeva, Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, stated that Culture Summit Abu Dhabi is a distinguished strategic platform for addressing issues of culture and arts in the contemporary world and for enhancing global cultural to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), she said that Kazakhstan and the UAE share deep-rooted cultural and humanitarian ties that go beyond economic cooperation to strengthen cultural links between the two highlighted that this relationship is characterised by a unique specificity that reflects the rich exchange between the heritage of the UAE and the culture of Kazakhstan, stressing that the UAE represents an exceptional model in integrating cultural history with creativity across various emphasised that the UAE provides a significant opportunity to showcase culture and creativity, referring to the opening of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a digital art museum that offers an immersive artistic experience combining authenticity and modernity. She considered the museum a living example of the UAE's ability to integrate history with modern technologies, contributing to the development of cultural dialogue between different noted that technological development presents a significant opportunity to promote cultures and national identity, and artificial intelligence can serve to enhance cultural cooperation and broaden understanding between different cultures, thereby helping to foster rapprochement among peoples and increasing global cultural interaction. Balayeva thanked the organisers for providing this unique platform, emphasising that the summit's events offer not only cultural exchange but also a strategic pathway to support peace and stability by leveraging culture as a vital tool for fostering communication between peoples. She expressed Kazakhstan's eagerness for further cultural cooperation with the UAE to enhance mutual interests and contribute to sustainable development.
Al Etihad
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Experts at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi discuss AI's impact on art, culture
29 Apr 2025 12:21 ABU DHABI (WAM)The Culture Summit Abu Dhabi hosted in-depth discussions on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on art and culture, with experts highlighting AI's growing role in shaping both cultural production and statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Professor Iyad Rahwan, Director of Max Planck Institute for Human Development, said that AI influences culture in two main ways 'by curating the content we consume through algorithmic filtering of news and media, and by actively participating in the creation of culture through AI-generated art, music, and visual works.'Rahwan said he is interested in understanding how this emerging phenomenon is reshaping art, science, and cultural output, while emphasising the need to manage its risks and maximise its benefits. He expressed a desire to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects that bring together science and art in joint exhibitions with both creative and scientific Lowry, David Rockefeller Director, Museum of Modern Art, said the Culture Summit serves as a global platform for thinkers and creators to engage on contemporary cultural issues, including AI's impact on told WAM that museums function as dynamic cultural laboratories, where new ideas and technologies can be explored. He said this encourages global cultural exchange and cited the concept of the 'imaginary museum' introduced by André Malraux in the late 1940s as an early vision of today's digital and AI-driven cultural also discussed the work of artist Refik Anadol, known for his AI-driven pieces. One of Anadol's prominent works, 'Unsupervised — Machine Hallucinations" showcased at the Museum of Modern Art, used algorithms to analyse 138,000 pieces from the museum's collection and generate new artworks blending heritage with advanced technologies. He praised Abu Dhabi as one of the most impressive cultural destinations, particularly highlighting Saadiyat Island as a regional hub for artistic and cultural development and a reflection of the city's commitment to global cultural dialogue.
