Nurturing and developing the UAE’s creative economy

The creative economy.

The term refers to the interchange of ideas, intellectual property, knowledge and technology. But it is an ever-evolving concept, and resists being pigeonholed into a single definition.

It has also become a bit of a buzzword in the UAE, especially over the past 15 years as the country has endeavoured to bolster its creative sector.

In this time, several cultural institutions have been launched that reshaped the local creative landscape, notably Louvre Abu Dhabi and the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) on Saadiyat Island, the Jameel Arts Centre and Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, and the House of Wisdom in Sharjah.

But setting up cultural institutions is only the first step. Next comes the challenge of engaging with the public and inspiring the next generation of artists, architects, software engineers, writers, publishers, researchers and film-makers.

Maya Allison, executive director of The NYUAD Art Gallery, and Bill Bragin, executive artistic director at the NYUAD Arts Centre, discuss the role the NYUAD is playing in nurturing and developing this creative economy.

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

Nurturing and developing the UAE’s creative economy

Several cultural institutions have been set up over the past decade that reshaped the creative landscape of the Emirates. However, launching institutions is only the first step (Paid Content)

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?