This year, the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival (RAKFAF) in the UAE will celebrate its 10th edition under the theme “The Journey.” It will be a celebration of the annual event’s first decade. As well as a celebration of the first 50 years of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The arts festival will open to the public on Friday, 4th of February 2022. And it will run until Thursday, 31st March 2022.
The Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival is a non-profit community arts festival.
RAKFAF is designed to showcase the work of local and emerging artists, photographers, and filmmakers. And to engage the community through a diverse calendar of cultural and creative programming.
Founded in 2013, RAKFAF has grown from a small festival of 30 emerging Ras Al Khaimah-based artists to a pre-eminent cultural event.
An initiative of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, the Festival is an integral part of the Foundation’s mission to contribute to the cultural development of Ras Al Khaimah.
In 2022, the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival celebrates a convening of journeys: their 10th anniversary and the UAE’s 50th anniversary.
Artists have been invited to share their interpretations of “The Journey” through the lens of ancestry, migration, national identity, and personal growth.
As in the previous three years, the historic Ras Al Khaimah pearling village of Al Jazirah Al Hamra will provide the central backdrop for the Festival.
Satellite exhibition sites will also offer unique settings for different events. Including the public viewing deck of the UAE’s highest peak, Jebel Jais, and the Open Park on Al Marjan Island.
The free-to-attend outdoor art, photography, and sculpture exhibition will present a diverse collection of artworks from over 150 artists coming from more than 45 countries.
There will also be a vibrant program of film screenings, workshops, guided tours, and other events held across the Festival’s various locations.
According to AlArabiya News, the Festival’s Director, Suqrat bin Bisher, noted that despite the global pandemic hitting the event last year, it remained popular.
“After the success of last year’s Festival which played a truly important role in bringing the community together in spite of a global pandemic, we are excited to reach this 10th year in which we celebrate togetherness, humanity and Ras Al Khaimah’s role in the world of art and culture,” Bisher said.
“Our stunning natural landscape offers the perfect backdrop for open-air events from film to exhibitions in addition to helping us broaden the festival’s reach to those who may not otherwise have discovered us.”
Speaking ahead of the Festival’s opening next month, His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, suggested that the 10th year of RAKFAF is a momentous occasion and a cause for great celebration, coinciding as it does with the UAE’s 51st year.
He summed up the meaningfulness of the event, and its wider implications, quite beautifully:
“Arts and culture are vital components in humanity’s ongoing pursuit of greater togetherness and tolerance, as these fields promote the virtues of dialogue, collaboration and understanding, which remain a constant means of uniting humanity.”
“The festival provides a platform for artists from all over the world, as well as our local talent and community members, to come together in a unique location to converse, to forge bonds and to learn, all through the medium of art and culture.”
Original article in the AlArabiya News
RAKFAF links
Official Website Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival (RAKFAF)
Instagram @rakfinearts
Twitter @RAKFineArts
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