Arab Cultural Guide Program Award Ceremony 2022held at Qasar Al Watan.

Under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan,Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan attends

the Arab Cultural Guide Program Awards Ceremony 2022

The TV series ‘Retracing Arab footsteps’ among honorees

Sudan wins Competition for Sustainable Ideas out of 11 Arab Countries

UAE wins Excellence Award in Museum and Cultural Guidance (category of Institutes and Ministries)

Palestine wins the first place in the award for museums & archaeological sites

AbuDhabi(News Desk)::Sheikh Mohammed Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan attended the awards ceremony of the Arab Cultural Guide Program 2022 held at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Diplomatic Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). The program was launched by the Ambassador for Culture for ALECSO, Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan in partnership with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Arab Organization of Museums, under the theme “History is Our Gateway to the Future”.

Also present at the event were H.E. Yacoub Al Hosani, Assistant Minister for International Organizations Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,  H.E. Ech Cherki Dahmali,   President of the Arab Organization of Museums and member of the -ICOM, and Mr. Dean Phelus the Sr Director  of Special Projects at the American Alliance of Museums.

The ceremony commenced with the National anthem of UAE and a welcome introduction for guests, winners and honorees from all over the Arab world, by H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), H.E. Ech Cherki Dahmali,   President of the Arab Organization of Museums and member of the Advisory Board of the International Council of Museums-ICOM, and Mr. Dean Phelus the Senior Director  of Special Projects at the American Alliance of Museums.

H.E. Noura Al Kaabi said:  “At the beginning of my speech, I would like to thank Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan, Ambassador for  Culture, for launching the “Arab Cultural Guide” program in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and with the participation of the Arab Organization of Museums.To welcome the guests of the United Arab Emirates to this meeting, which brings us together with an elite group of our promising Arab youth, armed with knowledge, awareness and authentic thought, which makes us foretell the future of the  Arab generations, a generation that believes our Arab region is the cradle of human civilization, from which human knowledge and innovations have spread, a generation capable of preserving those achievements and continuing civilization.” She added: “We are meeting today in this national edifice to honor an elite group of our young men and women within a program that is one of the most important activities in support of comprehensive community development, which raised an exceptional theme that we must stand at and reflect on: ” History is Our Gateway to the Future”, and here we recall the saying of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding leader, may God rest his soul, which was etched in the minds of the Emirati and Arab people alike: “He who has no past has no present and no future”. The preservation and transmission of the legacy of the past to future generations represents the pillar on which we work to make a bright tomorrow, with the past and the future generations and cultures joining to complement each other.Once again, I thank you for your active efforts in preserving the pillars of authentic Arab identity, and we congratulate the Arab guides who carry the banner for this exceptional achievement that calls for pride.”

Message from the Director of ALECSO: H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) delivered a speech in which he said: “First of all, I am pleased to thank the United Arab Emirates represented by the Ministry of Culture and Youth and Sheikha AlYazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan, ALECSO’s Ambassador for Culture for the wonderful reception and hospitality and for the great efforts in furnishing this joyful ceremony to celebrate the “Cultural Guide Program” competition, which was launched a few months ago with the support of the Ambassadorship Program, with the supervision of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization and cooperation from the Arab Organization of Museums. And thanks also go to our Arab countries that responded to this initiative and provided all the conditions for the success of their participation in it, as well as the cultural guides in our museums in our Arab countries and the owners of sustainable initiatives who accompanied us for several months in the various stages and stations of this promising program since its launch in April 2022 from coordination meetings, training workshops and competitions that were set up by specialists, until this award ceremony day in which we celebrate the winners, honorees and guests of the program from various entities and countries.”His Excellency stressed that the challenge for the organization has been a venture which is normal for every program launched for the first time with ambition and optimism to achieve the desired goals, but thanks to ALECSO’s experience in the field of joint Arab action, the determination of the ALECSO’s Ambassadorship Program Team for Arab Culture and the cooperation of our Arab countries, we can be proud today that we have succeeded in planting the first seed of a benevolent tradition that stems from the foresight and acumen of Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan, her interest in these areas and her wide knowledge of the needs of our museums.While congratulating ourselves and all our partners on the success of this first round of the Cultural Guide, we hope that this program will continue periodically and give us an annual appointment in the museums of our Arab countries and with our cultural guides to take their hands to perform their noble historical mission in introducing and disseminating the treasures and components of our civilization and highlighting the role of cultural heritage in consolidating the values of tolerance, peace and coexistence, and removing the stereotype on our museums to make them spaces for culture, exchange of ideas, creativity, cultural production and embracing all social strata without exception. or exclusion or discrimination.”He added: “Just as we succeeded in the Cultural Guide Program, we are determined to succeed also with the rest of the activities of the ALECSO Ambassadorship Program for Arab Culture thanks to candid determinations, good intentions and hard work, and soon we will have other  events here in this wholesome land with new activities within the framework of this newly established program, on which we rely a lot in introducing the achievements of our organization and its various programs and highlighting its role in promoting joint Arab action.Once again, I extend my congratulations to all the winners and honorees, and a better luck in the courses.   Coming to those who are not lucky this time, thanks again to all those involved in this new program from institutions and individuals, thanks to all the media professionals who have kept up with this program since its inception.  They contributed to its introduction and promotion within various cultural and media circles, as well as thanks to our permanent partner, the Arab Organization of Museums, which helped us select the participants and judge their work and accompany them throughout the stages of the program, and to other activities and events within the program of the Cultural Ambassadorship.  My special thanks to Her Excellency Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth for her support to the Organization and its programs and plans and for providing reasons for the success of the activities that will add to the United Arab Emirates.

Message from the President of the Arab Organization of Museums:H.E. Ech Cherki Dahmali, President of the Arab Organization of Museums and Member of the Advisory Board of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), also gave a speech in which he said:  “Our support for this distinguished program, highlights one of the most important functions of the museum, which is museum guidance, is mainly due to the fact that it corresponds to the most important element in our strategic plan in the organization, which is the formation and qualification of human cadres in museums to maintain the effectiveness of their professional performance, and to rehabilitate all groups working in it, especially the category of museum guides who are at the forefront of the in-person contact with all segments of visitors.We also found that this program was launched in a timely manner, as it came when museums began to recover from the consequences of the closure due to the spread of the Corona pandemic, and their keenness to restore visitors at the same pace as before the pandemic and why not, even better than it was.He added: “The Arab Organization of Museums has worked to contribute to this cultural initiative by providing academic content related to the profession of cultural guidance selecting the training courses that the participants benefited from. I was also very happy to join the jury with colleagues from the Cultural Ambassadorship and ALECSO, where our work together has created a great atmosphere of understanding and coordination, and on this occasion, I would like to thank them for accepting all our observations and suggestions throughout the preparation of the program. I am sure that this first round of the Arab Cultural Guide Program will constitute a solid foundation and a fundamental building block for the continuation of this project through the organization of other courses, and as usual the Arab Organization of Museums will remain a key partner with you in this noble cultural initiative. “

Speech of the American Alliance of Museums:Mr. Dean Phelus, Senior Director of Special Projects at the American Alliance of Museums, gave a speech as well:“On behalf of the American Alliance of Museums, a membership organization of 35,000 museums and specialty museums in the United States and globally, I am honored to be with all the winners of the awards to celebrate your important achievements.During nearly thirty years of working for the U.S. Alliance of Museums, overseeing professional education, international programs, the annual meeting and exhibition of the world’s largest museums, and now the Journal of the American Alliance of Museums, I have learned about the extraordinary work that continues every day in museums and cultural heritage sites that often go unnoticed.However, the work you do, for which you are honored, is a testament to the fundamental contribution you make to youth education, social and community cohesion, and sustainability.You help create a passion for lifelong learning, enhance critical thinking skills, and stimulate creativity that can make the seemingly impossible, possible.

Through a commitment to transfer and support knowledge about tangible and intangible cultural heritage, we learn about ourselves and others, our relationship with the world, and everything that is timeless about the human experience.

A visual feature of the progression and stages of the Arab Cultural Guide Program was screened as well.

On behalf of the Ambassador for Culture for ALECSO, Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan, he thanked all those who contributed to the realization of this meaningful Arab program, including partners, institutions, ministries and specialists, who genuinely worked  and made efforts to  highlight the cultural and tourism role in preserving culture and defining the Arab identity.Since its launch, the Arab Cultural Guide Program organized many interactive and promotional programs, activities and competitions aimed at the cultural institutions, museums and archaeological sites, to focus on the role of the museum in preserving the heritage and historical identity as a cultural and research center that sensitizes the community in its various categories of cultural identity, which will conclude in December 2022 with an interactive tour of the winning museums.

Awards were distributed and the winners and a number of personalities were honored as follows:

Award for Excellence in Museum and Cultural Guidance (for institutes and ministries):

First winner: the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, Heritage and Arts Sector Cultural Heritage Department, received by Ms. Asma Al-Mannai, Head of the Department of Antiquities at the Ministry of Culture and Youth,Second winner: Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Department of Museums and Antiquities, received by Fadwa Ibrahim, Head of Customer Services,Third winner:  Qatar Museums Authority.

Award for Excellence in Museum and Cultural Guidance (for museums and archaeological sites):

First winner: Sebastia Archaeological Museum from Palestine, received by Feras Aqel, Director of the General Directorate of Museums at the Ministry of Tourism,Second winner: Djerba Traditional Heritage Museum from Tunisia, received by Sonia Alaoui Director of the Museum,Third winner: Museum of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah in Essaouira – Morocco, received by Ghita Rabouli, Director of the Museum.

Acknowledgement for Excellence in Museum and Cultural Guidance (Acknowledging Unique Entries):

Mariam Al Raeisi, Director at the Natural History Museum of Oman,Chadia Khalafallah, from Setif National Public Museum, Algeria.Riyad Bakaroum, from Mukalla Museum, Yemen.

Cultural Guide Competition for Sustainable Ideas and Projects:

First Winner: Ezzedine Hajjaj from Sudan for the project of developing the interactive structure of Arab museums,Second winner: Layla Salih from Iraq for the project of recovery of cultural heritage after conflict an initiative in cooperation with the Museum of Bagdida for Syriac Heritage,Third winner: Sumaya Bejaoui from Tunisia for the project of the mobile cultural guide.

The best Arab restorer was awarded to the archaeological restorer specialized in architecture and movables, Eng. Faisal Farhan from Iraq.

Honoring leaders int field of media and cultural guidance:

The pioneers of media and cultural guidance were also honored by His Excellency Hamad Al Kaabi, Editor-in-Chief of Al Ittihad Newspaper. The award was accepted by Abdul Raheem Al Naqbi from Al Ittihad Newspaper, Ali Al-Salloum, Cultural Advisor and Founder of Ask Ali and Host of the “Droob” program, Dr. Mustafa Al-Sharif, Sudanese archaeologist, Dr. Eid Al Yahya, Saudi researcher, writer and TV presenter of the series ‘Retracing Arab footsteps’, Maya Hatahet, Senior Producer at Al Arabiya News Channel and producer of the tv series ‘Retracing Arab footsteps’ , and Laila Al-Faddagh, Director of the Saudi National Museum, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The ceremony concluded with a distinctive and enjoyable music performance entitled Al Sira Al Hilalia performed by the Egyptian Warsha Theater Troupe, followed by a statement by Dhekra Ouali, Director of the Arab Cultural Guide Program, a tour of Qasr Al Watan and the Palace in Motion light & sound show.END