Ramadan used to be a quiet time. Now, not so much – especially not in Abu Dhabi, where NYUAD is hosting the inaugural Ramadaniyyat, a week-long program of events to mark Ramadan that has been put together by NYUAD’s three public-facing institutions: The Arts Center, The Art Gallery, and The Institute.
The thinking is that this is opportunity to celebrate the university’s “communal spaces and our shared values at this special time”. That’s from Nadia El Cheikh, NYUAD’s Vice Provost for Cultural and Research Engagement at NYUAD, who added that Ramadaniyyat is also a chance “to invite our shared community to feel a sense of home”.
The Arts Center will show a special screening in its CinemaNa contemporary Arab Cinema series, Emirati filmmaker Nawaf al Janahi’s feature Before We Forget (11 April). There are also two very different musical evenings: a global collaboration between Khaleeji jazz ensemble Boom.Diwan x Nduduzo Makhathini x Jean-Michel Pilc (14 April, top), and a performance by internationally acclaimed oud and violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen and his band (15 April).
The Art Gallery will change its opening hours during Ramadan to 2-10pm. There will be regular guided tours of the current exhibition, Parthenogenesis: Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, Hesam Rahmanian (below) and the Gallery will also be announcing details of a meditative performance in response to the artworks currently on view.
The Institute features a discussion on the celebrated Arabic poet al-Mutannabi; HH Ali Bin Tamim, chair of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center will be in conversation with Bilal Orfali, Sheikh Zayed Professor for Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut and Senior Research Fellow at NYUAD’s Library of Arabic Literature.
A suhoor will be served nightly after the events at the East Plaza throughout the week.
All the events are listed on our Agenda pages, but there are more information and programme details here.
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