Abu Dhabi, June 22nd, 2010 (WAM) -- The United Arab Emirates is playing an active role in the events of the next session of Morocco's Asilah Arts Festival in July 10-28.

The UAE has been chosen as the Festival's guest of honour by the organizers for experiencing a massive increase in its distinguished cultural and literary activities, both in the region and the world.

The Festival is a wonderful opportunity to exhibit Emirati creativity, clarify the UAEs cultural message and disseminate it to both Arabic countries and the world as a whole.

The Festival, which will adopt the slogan "Renewable Energy A Leap Towards Human Development", will witness the participation of more than forty-five countries from around the world. It is one of the most important art festivals in the Middle East and North Africa and seeks to promote cultural exchange and open a dialogue between different countries. Its ethos is to celebrate the values of peace and tolerance.

The participation of the UAE is distinct, varied and comprehensive. It covers various events, including cultural, artistic, literary and folk events.

Masdar, a leading Abu Dhabi investment and technology company, is participating in the Festival by holding an international conference on the importance of renewable energy. This will be held at the Festival for the first time since its conception.

The Festival honours the cultural history of the region with a rich program of events from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development. This includes the organization of UAE folklore concerts, exhibitions of Arabic calligraphy and UAE music. In addition to this a conference is held at the Festival on poetry in the UAE, including an evening of poetry reading and recitation and various intellectual and cultural activities.

The presence of Emirati artists, writers and intellectuals, officially delegated by the state, and their participation in the Festival gives Asilah's multi-ethnic and cultural public a glimpse of the latest developments on the Emirati art scene.

The participation of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and their enthusiasm for heritage, artistic and cultural events reflects their strategy of preserving the cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

The public will be able to witness first-hand the impact that ADACH has had in bolstering authentic Arabic music and sponsoring young talent. They have achieved this through the Beit Al Oud Al Arabi and the Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam.

The Emirates Film Competition will exhibit a number of critically-acclaimed short films produced by Emirati artists.

In co-operation with the Ministry of Culture, ADACH will also hold several workshops and art exhibitions, lectures and seminars. These will address the topics of cultural diplomacy, the book industry and publishing (especially the Abu Dhabi Book Fair), Kitab, Qalam and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. There will also be a workshop addressing the current unique market for UAE handicraft.

Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH, said that the UAE's participation "is an ideal way of disseminating the UAE's cultural message on a globally stable and well-known platform. The aim of the UAEs involvement is to sponsor creativity in the fields of culture and heritage, support cultural dialogue with Arab countries and provide new opportunities for the development of artists and those involved in art jobs from the UAE. In addition to this the UAE hopes to promote Abu Dhabi's culture and heritage on a regional and global level, whilst enriching the country's portfolio and cultural agenda.""The UAE's successful experience in cultural work has driven the Festival organizers to select our country as the guest of honour. This is largely thanks to the uniqueness of its experience and its commitment to excellence," said Mazrouei.

"We cannot forget the long history of good relations between the two countries. Both Emirati and Moroccan peoples are very familiar with each other. The UAE participation as a guest of honour at the Festival will serve to better consolidate this closeness," he noted.

Mazrouei emphasized that what the UAE has given to the field of culture is distinctive on both an Arabic and international level.

"Being impressed by this unique combination of the values of tradition and modernity cannot be denied. All the State institutions concerned promote this concept and strive to devote themselves to it. They do this not only through the tributaries of the known traditional culture such as arts, performance and literature, but also through supporting forms of contemporary culture, which are based on a human consciousness and sense of belonging," he added.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.