Liwa Date Festival 2010
Liwa Date Festival 2010
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has underscored that the celebration of the Liwa Date Festival 2010 forms part of the ADACH’s strategy.
The Director General of ADACH, Chairman of the High Organising Committee Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, said in a statement that the ADACH works hard to safeguard the heritage of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE to promote it through integrating it into the daily life of community.
Mazrouei paid a tribute to the UAE leadership for preserving Abu Dhabi’s agriculture and heritage.
The event will be held under patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
In recognition of the UAE’s sustenance of heritage, Mazrouei continued the UAE has been elected as Vice-President of the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention of the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO.
He underscored that in this way the region’s rich cultural heritage is guaranteed to remain alive, continue far into the future and never be forgotten.
"Efforts are also being intensified to put Liwa on the world tourist map. There is a campaign afoot to have the site included amongst the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" after Bu Tinah Island made it onto the list of official finalists for the title", he said in a statement at press conference held at Emirates Palace to announce the preparations for the launch of the Liwa Date Festival 2010.
The Festival opens on 17 July and runs until 26 July. This year will also see the first date palm handicraft competition at the Liwa Date Festival, sponsored by WRDC. Competition entrants will transform the date palm leaves into traditional and contemporary designs and visitors to the festival will be able to watch and learn about this age-old Emirati tradition. A cash prize of AED 50,000 will be shared among the winners.
As one of the most important cultural events in Abu Dhabi, the Liwa Date Festival draws together genuine Emirati culture and heritage still being practiced in the Western Region today. The Festival brings the eyes and ears of the region - and beyond - to Al Gharbia and as such helps to raise important awareness of the region.
Mohammed Hamad bin Azzan Al Mazrouei, Director General of Western Region Development Council (WRDC), spoke at the press conference about the preparations for the festival.
For their part, the organising committee members extended their sincere gratitude to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed for his generous sponsorship and support to the Liwa Date Festival 2010.
They also thanked the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority in recognition of its continuous support to this annual event and its dedicated efforts to ensure its success and develop its promising potentials, services and activities.
The members said the premier contest of the festival is classified to five categories, with prizes amounting to five million dirham; namely "Aldabas", "Alkheneizi", "Bu Maan", Alkhalas", "Alfard" and "Alnokhba", given that the date provided for participation is harvested in 2010 and is produced in the UAE, while the moisture rate is not to exceed 50% for an appropriately matured harvest.
The dates must also be free from any bug infection or dead insects, eggs, droppings or larva. The fruits must also be in prime condition with no apparent defects or unnatural odour, and clean from any metal or sand particles.
This year, the festival offers a diverse variety of activities including the traditional marketplace, the children’s tent, the date market or souq, in addition to the folkloric performances and traditional games, as well as a number of cultural and scientific contests on the subject matter of palm trees farming, all in a distinct and attractive traditional setting.
The event is supported by the Western Region Development Council, Al Gharbia Municipality, the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company and the Abu Dhabi Transport Department.
The major sponsors are ADNOC and its subsidiaries companies, Emirates Nuclear Energy Agency, Al Dhahira Agricultural Company, Al Foaa Company for Development of Date Palm Sector, Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society and Abu Dhabi Media Company.
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