Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Arabic Language Summit kicks off tomorrow with the participation of writers, thinkers, academics and artists

• Includes roundtables for specialists as part of the ‘cultural retreat’ 

• The Arabic Language Academy in Damascus is the guest of honour and the Alexandria Library will be the central figure at the event 

• Will host dialogue sessions and seminars under the slogan "Language and Identity Formation"

The first edition of the Arabic Language Summit, organised by the Ministry of Culture and Youth in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, kicks off tomorrow under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.  The two-day summit will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi and will conclude on December 21, 2022.  

The Arab Academy of Damascus, the oldest Arabic language academy in the world, will be the guest of honour at the summit. The summit will celebrate the Academy for its contribution to the advancement of Arabic and promoting it as a language of science, knowledge and culture.

The summit will start with an opening ceremony, featuring a lyrical performance by Emirati singer Rashid Al Nuaimi, Lebanese musician Walaa Al Jundi, and Saudi artist Arwa. The artist will perform their rendition of a new poem from the words of the poets Raad Bandar, Omar Annaz, and Khalil Ailabouni. The inaugural edition of the summit which took place in December 2021 during Expo 2020 Dubai, saw the poem by His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai performed by the prominent Iraqi singer Kazem El Saher.

The current edition of the Summit held under the slogan “Language and Identity formation” discusses issues related to Arabic language and provide experiences that foresees the future of Arabic language in its societies. Participants will include prominent arabic thinkers, literary figures, academics most notably the Saudi literary critic Prof. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamami, winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year Award for the sixth session of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the French thinker and novelist Gilbert Sionet, and the Syrian-Lebanese thinker and poet Adonis. 

The summit will discuss with a group of Arab drama stars, the growing interest in exploring new creative horizons for the Arabic language. Promoting it as the language of the arts especially drama is very relevant considering drama as the most influential creative production and closest to the audience of the Arab region and the world. The session will be moderated by Bahraini poet, critic and media expert Parween Habib, Syrian artist Jamal Suleiman, and from the UAE, artists Samira Ahmed and Ahmed Al Jassmi Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah National Theatre, who will present their future outlook and tackle questions to address the relationship between language and identity. They will discuss mechanisms to deepen the ties of belonging and human identity through drama and arts, in addition to a series of sessions and workshops held during the summit. 

The event also features a cultural retreat that hosts a group of writers, academics and specialists in the field of Arabic language to discuss various issues related to the language. The participants will discuss the growth, promotion and future of Arabic and how the language can be established as the language of the sciences and arts. They will discuss Arabic’s presence in the educational curricula and enhancing its position among youth and in various fields. The future course of the language will also be discussed along with topics for enhancing and consolidating the status and presence of the Arabic language. 

The Summit will discuss other topics, most notably the recommendations issued by the report "The State and Future of the Arabic Language" issued by the Ministry in December 2020, which represents a framework for consolidating the Arabic language as a language of science, knowledge and identity. The report also constitutes the cornerstone of the National Agenda for the Arabic Language and its objectives and priorities associated with the next fifty for the UAE. 

The summit is an international platform that serves to promote and enhance the use of the Arabic language in literature and arts. It provides a new approach that helps develop methods of using the Arabic language and empowering it as a means of communication and learning, as well as a knowledge and cultural platform that brings together language experts in all fields, to shape the future of Arabic based on an accurate reading of the current challenges.