Among the fears of "Corona" and highlighting the Arab achievement, past and present, and the tunes of Marcel Khalife, the activities came on the fourth day of the "High Abu Dhabi Festival", organized by the Ministry of Tolerance in a country, in cooperation with the Hay Festival of Arts and Arts, over a period of four days in Manarat Al Saadiyat , And concluded its activities yesterday evening.

Hay Festival Director, Peter Florence Robert, in statements to "Emirates Today", expressed his happiness at the interaction, interest and interest of the event in its first edition in Abu Dhabi, from a wide audience that brought together different generations and people with multiple interests, noting that this turnout represents A great incentive for them to organize future courses.

On the Arab presence on the festival’s list of activities, Robert explained that the main theme of “High Abu Dhabi” seeks to highlight many of the valuable gifts that Arab civilization has provided to the world, not only those contributions that belong to ancient civilization, such as mathematics, medicine or calligraphy Al-Arabi, but the festival's activities also included showing examples of contemporary Arab successes, such as hosting the poet Adonis, and the Omani writer Gogha Al-Harthi, the first Arab creator to receive the Man Booker International Prize.

He added that the selection of the writers participating in the program came on the basis of several criteria, foremost among which is the success of their works and the masses stemming from the reflection of the writer's passion for what he presents «The festival aims to present to the public the characters that they admire and its works, and find inspiration for them» .

Optimism, despite everything

For his part, Indian politician and diplomat Shashi Tharoor, who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the Indian government, expressed his appreciation and admiration for the tolerance and coexistence that characterizes the UAE, which makes it a unique example in this field, as mosques adjoin it With churches and temples, everyone lives in peace and security, stressing the importance for future generations to be founded on values ​​of acceptance of the other, tolerance and mutual dialogue. Tharoor acknowledged his fears of the rapid prevalence of the Corona virus in the world, and the possible repercussions of this, such as food shortages in many countries of the world, as a result of the ban on air traffic and transport with countries where the disease is infected.

The Indian diplomat called, during the dialogue session that was held the evening of yesterday, in the presence of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, not to rely on the big suppliers only, and to move towards new suppliers to avoid this crisis or reduce its effects. In response to a question about the «Bitcoin» digital currencies, he pointed to his lack of optimism about its future «any currency that is not based on a gold cover, and no country supports it, it is difficult to continue».

Regarding the affairs in his country, Tharoor expressed his sorrow for the sectarianism that India is witnessing in recent months, expressing his belief that the current situation will end, and India will return again as founding by the founding fathers, India that chose the peaceful resistance to the British occupation led by Gandhi, which was based on a constitution that secures Everyone has freedom of belief and equality of opportunity.

The Indian diplomat touched on several issues, such as globalization and the international liberal order, citing what was stated in his books, including what was mentioned in his book, "The Elephant, Tiger, Cell Phone", which received several awards. On globalization, he explained that it has many positives. “China is one of the countries that benefited most from globalization, not only at the state level, but also at the individual level. Thanks to globalization, many Chinese have lived in luxury, and in India, although globalization has negatively affected Some industries, however, India has succeeded in occupying an advanced position in the field of information technology.

From Marcel to Darwish

The ceremony that the artist Marcel Khalife and his son Bashar witnessed yesterday evening, within the Hay Abu Dhabi Festival, was a great presence, as the Lebanese musician presented many old and modern songs during the ceremony.

In statements before the ceremony, Marcel Khalifeh expressed his pride in participating in the "High Abu Dhabi", which plays an important role in promoting the values ​​of communication and tolerance between people, stressing that these festivals have a high cultural character, and societies need them, because the public needs this high quality of culture, That promotes the values ​​of tolerance and communication between humans.

Concerning tolerance and human brotherhood, Marcel said that most of his work revolves around this goal, including the song "Passport": "The singer who sings to the homeland holds among his wings that great love, because he will only reach his goal with the love of humanity, regardless of their religion, colors, and nationalities." Until this fusion in one crucible, and in one community, has all the potential to live in peace, joy, dignity and humanity. He stressed the importance of caring for the new generation, and the new rhythms it presents.

Marcel added that he was happy with what he presented in "Hai Abu Dhabi" "a memory with the great poet Mahmoud Darwish", through many pieces that were written before most of the attendees were born today, yet they accepted and were happy with them.

On the subject of human brotherhood in seeing him as an artist, he said: “I searched long ago with the beginning of my project about human cohesion wherever it is, the other is not an enemy, but a friend. He went, and suffice and bitterness suffice us.

Rediscovering Islamic classics

"Hai Abu Dhabi" activities witnessed a special session for the researcher and writer Dr. Ahmed Al Shamsi, who spoke to the festival's pioneers about rediscovering Islamic classics in an attempt to understand their historical content and their originality.

He highlighted writings during the first centuries of Islam, and the effect of the invention of printing on resurrecting these writings, whether they relate to literature, science, history, jurisprudence and art, noting that “the 19th century constituted an opportunity to discover a huge heritage that deserves to be known”. He believed that "the values ​​and traditions of Arab societies are inseparable from the noble human values, and that it is important to have a real dialogue between East and West."

Shashi Tharoor:

"The UAE is a unique example and example of tolerance and coexistence among all."

Marcel Khalife:

"This Abu Dhabi plays an important role in promoting the values ​​of communication and love between people."

The theme of the festival seeks to shed light on many valuable gifts that Arab civilization has presented to the world.