Building togetherness and connection is at the heart of the Abu Dhabi festival

Madison Young will perform in the All-Star Ballet Gala at Abu Dhabi Festival 2025 on April 22 at the Red Theatre, NYU Abu Dhabi. Picture: supplied

Humans are social beings. For this reason, connections lie at the heart of the human experience.

I have always been fascinated by the power of connections and their limitless potential to shape families, friendships, communities and nations. Connections fuel our personal lives, our livelihoods and our collective history. So much so that the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, wove this fundamental need for connection into the very fabric of the country: seven emirates uniting to form a nation. A nation that rises to global challenges, in connection with other nations – partners and allies – to face the future and shape a better world.

As we move further into the UAE’s 2025 Year of Community, under the slogan “Hand in Hand”, Sheikh Zayed’s vision of harmonious connections continues to shape Abu Dhabi as a global beacon of inclusivity and togetherness.

In the UAE, we believe in the transformative power of harmony because we have seen it work for the benefit of our country and the world, shaping the society we live in today: welcoming, forward-thinking, resilient, creative.

The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra performing on the festival's opening night at Emirates Palace on February 7. Courtesy: Abu Dhabi Festival 2025

Culture plays a vital role in making this harmony possible, which is why Sheikh Zayed considered culture to be the soul of our nation. Having worked in the field of culture for the past 30 years, I see his vision at work every day: culture is where our identity resides, but it is also where our aspirations live. It is who we were, who we are, and who we aim to be. It embodies both the past and future. Essentially, culture is what binds us all together: as Emiratis, as Arabs, as humans, we connect through culture.

As all great stories, the story of Sheikh Zayed and of the UAE is one of undying relevance

Since the birth of our nation 53 years ago, its leadership has not only remained consistent in upholding the legacy of Sheikh Zayed but has expanded it. They make sure every day that the values of community, diversity and harmony are deeply embedded into everything that the UAE builds. The Saadiyat Cultural District is a case in point.

For all their awe-inspiring beauty, the museums are far more than architectural masterpieces: they are a reflection of something deeper that is happening not only in the Saadiyat Cultural District but in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. These museums, like our nation and its capital, are staging cultural dialogue. They are enabling connection.

These magnificent museums would be empty shells without Sheikh Zayed’s vision of connections and togetherness. The Louvre Abu Dhabi tells a universal story – humanity’s story no less – through its art, as it connects cultures and shows how civilisations echo each other.

The Abrahamic Family House fosters understanding among faiths with three places of worship sharing a physical – but also a cultural and symbolic – space as peaceful neighbours, each with their distinctiveness, but with a sense of cohesion and community.

Soon, the Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, as well as the Natural History Museum and teamLab Phenomena, will keep on weaving these connections between cultures and between individuals.

Each and every time I visit the district, I see Sheikh Zayed’s vision laid out in front of me and I hear his call and the call of our country to keep on building bridges, connections through culture and beauty.

It is in this call that Abu Dhabi Festival finds its purpose: each edition of the festival is another brick laid in building our emirate’s lifework: to build togetherness and connection. Our annual celebration brings together local, regional and global talents, each of their voices taking part in a conversation that stimulates artists and audiences alike.

Art – and the Abu Dhabi Festival along with it – tells stories, records our triumphs, questions our world. These stories bridge past and future, and open minds and hearts amongst Emiratis and expatriates alike.

Now in its 22nd edition, the theme of this year’s Festival, “Abu Dhabi – A World of Harmony”, resonates deeply with the Year of Community and with all that Abu Dhabi stands for: a home, a haven, and an opportunity for more than 200 nationalities and cultures.

This year, we celebrate more than 50 years of friendship and bilateral relations between the UAE and the Festival’s Country of Honour, Japan – a nation that exemplifies the values of community through its extraordinary culture and deeply rooted traditions.

The truth is that community is not an ideal – it is a reality we all work to make possible every day, taking inspiration from the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, who first envisioned it and provided us with its roadmap.

As all great stories, the story of Sheikh Zayed and of the UAE is one of undying relevance. It is a story of community and unity, making us rise collectively to the height of our potential. As all great stories, it is more than just a story: it is a reminder of the past, and a roadmap towards our future and towards ourselves. As all great stories, each generation will reinterpret it, to pass it on.

Let’s continue telling this story “Hand in Hand”, to craft the brightest of futures: a future built upon shared purpose and togetherness.