FlipNarrative at the Summit
The Culture Summit is an annual event held in the Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism. “A Living Culture” was the theme for the 2022 Summit, where global leaders in art, heritage, museums, and technology gathered to examine the ways in which culture can transform societies and communities. FlipNarrative founders Waleed and Joana Zuaiter joined more than 180 cultural leaders from around the world to speak about current global issues. Some of the other key speakers who attended the three-day summit included Dalia Grybauskaitė the former President of Lithuania, Former President of Croatia Ivo Josipović, Former Malawian President Joyce Banda, comedian Trevor Noah, CNN anchor Becky Anderson, architects Frank Gehry and David Adjaye and Emirati author Omar Saif Ghobash.
With thoughtfully programmed panel discussions, keynotes, presentations, screenings, and conversations, the Culture Summit harnessed the expertise of policy makers, researchers, artists, and culture professionals to examine topical themes such as embracing the past to make sense of the present, the impacts of digital media and AI, empowering new voices, social responsibility, and diversity.
The relationship between Film and Culture was also a major talking-point at the Summit. In-depth discussions from the contribution that film makes in shaping today’s cultures to taking Bollywood global were just some of the subjects on the program across the three days. Hans Fraikin, the Abu Dhabi Film and TV Commissioner stated in an interview with Euronews, “We don't always put film and TV, the screen entertainment medium, into the category of cultural, creative industries. And it's important to explain how important film and TV are not only as a form of cultural expression but as a platform to distribute.”
Waleed Zuaiter (middle) and Joana Zuaiter (right) in discussion with Mohammed Al Otaiba (left)
Waleed and Joana Zuaiter addressed the concept of “What Being a Global Citizen Means as an Arab Artist Today?” The speaker session was moderated by former Head of ImageNation Abu Dhabi and Editor-in-Chief of The National, Mohammed Al Otaiba. The documentary “Perception”, a film created by renowned French-Tunisian artist eL Seed and produced by FlipNarrative, was the initial point of discussion. The documentary tells the story of a mural eL Seed created in Cairo’s marginalized Manshiyat Nasr neighborhood of Coptic Christians. The artist’s mission was to create a mural that reflects the beauty of the residents with the final project divided across dozens of buildings, and ultimately the mural has had a transformative impact on the neighborhood and community. The film set the context for a discussion surrounding the challenges and changes faced today as an Arab artist in entertainment, both internationally and locally.
Waleed stated “As the world continues to shrink and we get even closer through technology and arts programs, it’s becoming clearer that advances are happening at a rapid pace and the hub for the world’s media and entertainment sector resides here in the MENASA region. It’s such an opportune time for us as artists to recognize our profound responsibility and our value to society.”
They also spoke about the importance of mining meaningful and engaging local artistic content. FlipNarrative’s mission is to amplify underrepresented and historically misrepresented voices for world audiences with quality and authenticity and, in so doing, eradicate the fiction that has informed how popular culture regards these communities.
“I’m inspired by stories that are not usually heard, especially from this part of the world which I hold dear as an Arab. We’re especially drawn to these untold stories because they shine the light where there was darkness. In the process, we aim to not only entertain but to also enlighten and empower the regional talent through social entrepreneurship programs and exposure to our international and Hollywood network,” remarked Joana when elaborating on FlipNarrative’s approach.
Forums like the Culture Summit are essential for the exchange of ideas and provide a much-needed platform for thought-leaders from all nationalities and disciplines to convene on a common cause then affect change in their respective societies.
