Music is a Universal Language

Claire Parker, United Arab Emirates

Art has often been professed as the only language that all humans share in common. Anyone can look at art and tell you what they think it means or represents. Art is not to be deciphered. It spans across all elements, transcends its cultural matrix and speaks directly to our common humanity. The Abu Dhabi Festival is a prime illustration that race, religion, color and nationality is taken out of the equation in this meeting of minds. This is why art serves so superbly as a universal language -- as a means toward understanding the history, culture, and values of other people.

The Abu Dhabi Festival - a major arts and culture festival that is a source of inspiration and innovation at both a local and global level - successfully transcended the boundaries of language and geography and united its audience through an unforgettable adventure in the form of art. The Festival is making an important contribution to the image of Abu Dhabi as a crossroads of creativity and artistic expression in this region and is integrated with Abu Dhabi’s strategy to bring cultural creativity to the forefront of public thought, nurture the artistic Emirati leaders of the future and develop a truly global society.

With an ambitious theme entitled ‘Harmony for Humanity’ the festival successfully demonstrated just how important the concept of tolerance, humanity and peace are to Abu Dhabi and how genuine is its wish to bring these messages to a worldwide constituency. This message is even more relevant when you consider that the festival is operating in a region where conflict is a daily reality and a society where these artistic experiences are so rare and unique. During the festivals’ performances people left their conflicts, differences and religions outside the music hall, as art bridged two worlds who never knew each other before.

As a pre-courser to the festival the ‘World Orchestra for Peace’ performed in Abu Dhabi embodying the rich diversity of the multi-cultural world we live in today. The ensemble was made up from musicians representing 40 different national orchestras as a positive demonstration of international cooperation and co-existence from representatives of diverse states, races and religions.

Furthering the festival theme and in celebration of artistic excellence the festival program encompassed all elements of the arts including music, song, dance and visual arts. Musicians as varied as the virtuoso pianist Yefim Bronfman was in the festival line-up alongside seven-time Emmy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and critically acclaimed musician Al Jarreau. The acclaimed maestro and director of the San Francisco Orchestra Nicola Luisotti was tasked with conducting the Russian National Orchestra whilst Sylvie Guillem, possibly the greatest ballerina of our time and Russell Maliphant enthralled the crowd with a breathtaking contemporary dance performance – PUSH. Shakespeare’s Globes Macbeth entertained and educated young minds, the acclaimed Algerian artist and Sculptor Rachid Koraichi stimulated visitors with his exhibition whilst Stars of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky inspired the city’s young ballerinas. Over the duration of the festival these artists reached out to over 25,000 people across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and beyond, engaging open minds and pushing the boundaries of cultural diversification.

The strongest manifestation of Abu Dhabi as a cultural hub was visible on Young artists day when 34 students, drawn from 20 different nationalities, came together to perform an original work. Standing shoulder to shoulder on stage, these students - oblivious to the ethnicity of their neighbors - played with unbridled passion while their family and friends watched in awe, united in pride. This experience alone will no doubt inspire future generations of young artists, fosters careers, open doors and could drastically change the life of these youngsters in just hours. 

Whether it is through music, painting, dance or sculpture, at their core, the arts have the ability to bring people together, transcend geographical boundaries, cultures and languages and engage everyone. What the Abu Dhabi team learnt from this experience left us refreshed and enriched, elevating us above mundane daily events and opening our eyes to the possibility of a united world.

It would be naive to say that art is a solution to conflict, however it does have the power to bring people together in mutual appreciation where barriers can be broken down and a more harmonious way of living encouraged and greater cultural understanding nurtured. If art can't do this, then nothing can.