Louvre Abu Dhabi: Where cultures harmonize

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Student ambassadors visit the interior of the Louvre Abu Dhabi construction site on Saadiyat Island. (Nouf Al Reyami)

By Nouf Al Reyami

ABU DHABI — At the 2015 government summit in Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, stated “every successful government treats its citizens as a national asset.”

Louvre Abu Dhabi illustrates its true commitment towards being an effective member in the process of fulfilling this vision through initiating Louvre Abu Dhabi Student Ambassador Programme. The programme illustrates that the society and the citizens’ engagement are imperative factors to its success and subsequently the prosperity of the country.

This initiative was welcomed by a number of distinguished universities including Zayed University that has always been keen towards advancing its students’ personal and academic growth. To encourage its students to take part in such prestigious programmes is to pave the path that leads to fruitful achievements.

“The Louvre Abu Dhabi Student Ambassador Programme was created to nurture pride of  Abu Dhabi’s achievements in the cultural field,” Programme Manager Joud Al Marar said. “Today, a group of brilliant students from different universities are involved behind the scenes of the project.”

Louvre Abu Dhabi is the fruit of an intergovernmental agreement between the Government of Abu Dhabi and France. Louvre Abu Dhabi, a universal museum in the Arab world, which was designed by architect Jean Nouvel, will serve as a platform where a variety of aesthetic cultures harmonise. For the opening year, the museum’s permanent collection will be displayed alongside around 300 loans from 13 prestigious French museums and cultural institutions.

This collaboration will form an art historical narrative that will take visitors from ancient times to contemporary. Louvre Abu Dhabi will also include a children’s museum where youngsters will be able to appreciate a variety of intriguing works of art through temporary exhibitions and workshops. The cooperation between a number of French cultural institutions and Abu Dhabi will further diverse and enrich the collection of the museum thus allowing it to act as a place of discovery, cultural exchange and education.

As a member of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Student Ambassador Programme family, this experience has been a beneficial and a rewarding one. The programme made the intellectual and personal prosperity of its student ambassadors a priority. Student Ambassadors were encouraged to volunteer in a number of talks, projects and Louvre Abu Dhabi public programmes that aspired to further empower the students and develop their skills in ways that aid them in becoming successful future leaders.

An initiative where the success of one is the success of others, where tolerance, perseverance and innovation are woven amongst the morals and values held by its members, further implements the belief that us, as individuals, are united in the responsibility which leads to the prosperity of the community.

This story was originally published on Oct. 4, 2016. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 31, 2020.