Sharjah Art Foundation presented a performance by the traditional Emirati folk band Zinat Sharjah in Heart of the World, a ceremony commemorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of Santa Marta on 29 July 2025 at El Rodadero beach, Colombia. 

 A port city on the Caribbean sea, Santa Marta is one of the oldest surviving settlements in South America, shaped by Indigenous, African, Hispanic and Arab roots. Celebrating the richness and diversity of this shared human heritage, the event combined theatrical performances with different music from the Sierra Nevada, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  

Zinat Sharjah showcased Sharjah’s cultural heritage through three traditional art forms: Al-Hibban (a folk style incorporating the jirba, a bagpipe made from goat skin); Al-Yamal (poetic sea chants rhythmically performed by ‘rowers’); and Al-Madīma (a maritime art form that blends Arabic lyrics with African melodies).  


Zinat Sharjah has previously collaborated with Sharjah Art Foundation, performing at multiple Sharjah Biennials, including the 16th edition of the Biennial which concluded on 15 June 2025. The band is frequently featured at events by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and other cultural institutions in the UAE.  


Heart of the World was attended by Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation and Nawar Al Qassimi, Vice President of the Sharjah Art Foundation alongside H.E. Gustavo Petro, President of the Republic of Colombia and Yannai Kadamani Fonrodona, Minister of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge of Colombia.

About Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.  

Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.  

Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.    

About Sharjah

Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.

Media Contact

Alyazeyah Al Marri         
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113