More than 250 university students from across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will be selected to act as the Qasr Al Hosn Festival Ambassadors during this year's edition of the annual Qasr Al Hosn Festival which is being held from February 11th to 21st in Abu Dhabi.
The Ambassadors Programme, which has grown in size since the pilot program in 2014 from 160 to more than 250 students this year, will see the ambassadors interact with visitors to help narrate the Emirate's rich culture and history across the various festival touch points.
The Festival will celebrate the UAE's tangible and intangible heritage through a rich, diverse programme featuring guided tours of the Fort, inspiring activities and live performances in the Cultural Foundation Building, in addition to public programmes held on the Festival grounds reflecting various elements of UAE culture.
Reem Al Mansoori, of the Festival's Public Programme, said, "The Qasr Al Hosn Ambassadors Programme is a key component of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival, and its popularity among university students is testament to their great interest in Emirati traditional and cultural heritage. We aim to reinforce our cultural values and national identity through instilling a sense of pride and belonging in our youth, and empowering them to actively participate in the Qasr Al Hosn Festival." "Conservation does not only refer to the preservation and restoration of great monuments but it also aims to build capabilities and transfer knowledge from generation to generation, which is the best way to preserve the nation's cultural identity," added Al Mansoori.
The Ambassadors Programme has been designed to increase awareness among Abu Dhabi's younger generation of the Emirate's history, traditions and culture dating back to when Qasr Al Hosn became one of the first permanent structures in Abu Dhabi.
The Qasr Al Hosn Festival has a tradition of reaching out to the community, and the Ambassadors Programme is one of the vehicles to engage Emirati youth in the preservation of Emirati heritage. The programme empowers the students to act as the interface between the older Emirati generation - holders of rich knowledge on the UAE's intangible heritage - and the public.
The Ambassadors will be present in each of the Festival's four themed zones – Desert, Oasis, Marine and Abu Dhabi Island, in addition to the Qasr Al Hosn Fort, the National Consultative Council Chamber and the Cultural Foundation Building.
Ambassadors will also encourage visitor interaction in dhow building, palm weaving, sea shanties, falconry, tree climbing and making Gahwa, in addition to a number of other Emirati-themed activities.
Participating Ambassadors represent 10 universities from across the Emirate, including Zayed University, United Arab Emirates University, the Higher Colleges of Technology, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, Al Hosn University, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi University, and NYU Abu Dhabi University and College.
Source: WAM