Abu Dhabi to host Italy’s first language institute in region
Abu Dhabi: The Italian government will this year inaugurate its first language institute in the region, a representation of the cultural cooperation between Italy and the GCC countries, said Dr Alessandra Priante, the Italian cultural attaché to the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Dr Priante told Gulf News that the centre would be set up following Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti’s visit to the UAE last month which reciprocated a visit by Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Italy in January 2012.
“We have picked the place for the institute. The idea to open the centre stemmed from a survey we conducted amongst students at some universities about their readiness to study Italian courses. They replied positively to this idea,” Dr Priante said.
“Upon the survey, we figured out that there is a high demand for Italian language courses and we have a very active Italian club at Zayed University right now,” she added.
The institute will prepare students for various levels of education, including university levels and the course’s certification system will allow learners to join most Italian colleges and universities, Dr Priante said.
She stressed that the institute is projected to develop into a full-fledged Italian cultural centre, with plans to run a school. “Such a school is very significant objective to reach as we aim to leave something for Emiratis and Italians to be proud of benefitting from the juxtaposition of the UAE multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual community,” Dr Priante said.
With regard to the location of the institute and the school, she said: “We have decided about the location and the place and we are working with the Abu Dhabi Education Council, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard before officially launching it.”
Dr Priante referred to the 10-point cooperation agreement on art and cultural heritage that was signed on November 22, 2012 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Prime Minister Monti which had brought the two countries more closer in terms of cultural ties.
She said the agreement covers music, theatre, the visual arts, films, and archives as well as libraries. Under the agreement, a joint commission on the arts will reinforce the ongoing collaboration between the two countries’ cultural institutes to promote cultural exchanges, conferences, seminars, and the dissemination of the Italian language through teaching and literary translations, she added.
“We consider mutual understanding as a pivot towards success of our ties. ‘Cultural diplomacy is not for the spotlights, but rather a subtle and patient weaving that creates an atmosphere of openness between two countries,” Dr Priante said.
She added that the UAE can benefit from Italy’s expertise and experiences in running museums and preserving books, statues, and artifacts and means of archiving them.
According to Dr Priante, Italy has become a regular participant at the region’s major international festivals, including the just-concluded Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), where five Italian films were screened.
Dr Priante, a professor of cultural management at four universities in Italy and an author of several sector publications, replied to a question about why she picked the UAE to be the base for her work in the GCC, saying: “I personally chose to have my headquarter of operations since the UAE has multi-cultures and is well structured which makes it unparalleled to any country in the region. In addition, there is a great attention by the leaders of the UAE towards developing minds and shaping the future of the country.”
With regard to the strategy she is resorting to in order to boost cultural ties with the GCC, Dr Priante said: “I rely on three main pillars. First, in the embassy we help create platforms of mutual understanding, with emphasis on the educative side on everything. Second, we focus on reciprocity of knowing each other well in terms of culture, not all Italians know what the UAE or the GCC is and not all the GCC or UAE people know what Italy is. Third, we resort to soft diplomacy within a systematic framework.”
Gulfnews.com
Related Articles
Which Dubai school is the happiest, healthiest?
DUBAI The bar has just been raised for Dubai schools.
Dubai’s GEMS Education Said to Raise $250 Million for Expansion
GEMS Education, one of the world’s biggest operators of private schools, raised a $250 million loan to build new schools in the Gulf Cooperation Counc
Khalifa Awards are a lesson to all that children want to learn
A Dubai centre where disabled youngsters can learn how to make robots and a teacher who is getting his pupils excited about learning Arabic were among
Hamdan Bin Rashid Award honours top schools, students
Shaikh Hamdan presents awards to 248 winners in event at World Trade Centre
