Hala Badri: Collaboration And Partnership With Everyone Is An Essential Factor For Supporting The Emirate’s Creative Sector

Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, affirmed that the Authority is progressively fulfilling its role with a steadfast vision by constantly communicating with the creative community and working with its partners to ensure the continuity of creativity in various fields across the cultural sector and enable creatives to stay their course despite the repercussions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This came as part of her visit to AlSerkal Avenue, which is one of the most prominent creative incubators for cultural events in Dubai. It was also part of the continuous support of HH Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture, to follow up on the cultural scene in the emirate based on Her Highness’s keenness to constantly be conscious of the business conditions in the sector. Her Highness also seeks to find solutions that would ensure the continuity of the sector and enhance the ability of all creatives within it to rise up to the challenges and pursue the emirate’s procedural path of development and prosperity.

On this occasion, Hala Badri said: “Dubai Culture’s responsibility and role in sponsoring, protecting, supporting, encouraging, directing, and organising cultural work in the emirate aligns with its vision of an innovative and renewed cultural landscape that preserves our heritage and history. In light of the prevalent situation, we must consider the existing challenges in our surroundings and identify the most appropriate solutions to confront them. During these visits and meetings, we listened to the views and perceptions of those involved in the cultural and creative sector and exchanged ideas on methods to enhance this vital sector. We are working, over the coming period, on laying the foundations for the outputs of these important dialogues and working to develop an action plan that would represent a pillar of support for creative people. This plan will also help achieve our strategic priorities for the sector to establish Dubai as an incubator for creativity and a leading cultural centre on the world’s cultural map.”

She added: “We believe that collaboration and partnership with everyone is an essential element for promoting the creative sector, and that it is necessary to unify efforts among the private and public sectors to expand their societal responsibilities and support creative people, especially the young generation, in a manner that would consolidate the Authority’s plans and initiatives. Such steps will also progress upon the path towards realising the goals of Dubai Plan 2021 that aims to make Dubai a home of creative and empowering individuals, full of pride and happiness, living in a cohesive society.

During the visit, Hala Badri met with Abdulmonem bin Eisa bin Nasser AlSerkal, founder of AlSerkal Avenue, as well as with a group of Emirati artists and residents in a number of galleries around Alserkal Avenue, including the prominent Moroccan visual artist, Mohamed Melehi, at the ‘Concrete’ exhibition.

This visit came as a continuation of a series of visits that Hala Badri made to a number of sites in the emirate’s cultural and creative sector, which included a visit to the Emirati artist and photographer Aisha Al Abbar at her gallery, Aisha Al Abbar Art Gallery, with the aim to encourage, motivate and support local talent in Dubai.

These meetings are part of the framework of the Authority's updated strategic roadmap aimed at supporting and preserving creative talents as well as attracting creative people in various fields of arts and culture from around the globe to study, live and work in Dubai, providing them with a rich platform to grow and thrive in one of the most desirable and ambitious destinations in the world.

This series of visits fulfil Dubai Culture’s role as a custodian of the cultural sector in the emirate by ensuring a faster recovery for this sector from the crisis that affected all vital sectors around the world. It also forms part of the priorities of the Authority’s updated strategy that is aimed at empowering creativity and innovators, enhancing the emirate’s cultural scene and leading to the consolidation of Dubai’s position as a global centre for art and culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.