The UAE’s cultural institutions may be closed as part of a range of measures designed to contain the spread of coronavirus, but many of the capital’s most noted landmarks are taking their offerings online.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has launched a new initiative, under which several institutions, including the Cultural Foundation, Manarat Al Saadiyat and Qasr Al Hosn, will create video clips, virtual sessions and more.

Titled CulturAll, the concept will use DCT’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels to make sure followers can keep up-to-date with the city’s museums and galleries from home.

“We have created CulturAll as a way for those in Abu Dhabi, the wider UAE and, indeed, across the globe to continue to learn, engage and expand horizons when it is not physically possible to visit sites,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi.

“We strongly believe that culture is a fundamental and invaluable building block of society. Active cultural engagement not only stimulates creativity but brings us together, reinforces our collective identity and becomes a support that we can draw upon.”

Berklee Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Art will also take part in the initiative, with experts producing content that takes in everything from traditional arts and crafts and history to videos of previous exhibitions and concerts.

“It is our hope that CulturAll can aid in strengthening our sense of unity and keeping our hearts and minds open to inspiration, no matter where we are in the world,” said Al Mubarak.

CulturAll will be developed under three themes: #CultureAllCreate will encourage followers to create and share their own content, while #CultureAllExplore will allow viewers to discover video footage and recordings from DCT Abu Dhabi’s past events, such as festivals, concerts and exhibitions.

#CultureAllMeet, meanwhile, promises followers will be able to “learn about various ideas and concepts from the experts that DCT Abu Dhabi works with from around the world”, such as artists, historians, gallerists and architects.

As part of nationwide measures introduced since the start of the global coronavirus crisis, Louvre Abu Dhabi and the rest of the capital’s cultural sites last week extended their closures “until further notice”.
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