With Dr. Yousif Aydabi and Ismail Al RifaiI
Ages 17+
In Arabic
Sharjah Art Foundation’s Dialogues talk series invites key cultural figures to reflect on their distinctive experiences, which have helped shape the UAE’s vibrant artistic landscape.
For its second session, the programme welcomes Dr Yousif Aydabi, Cultural Adviser at Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre, for a conversation reflecting on his distinguished career, which spans decades of creative practice and cultural production across a wide range of artistic fields.
From poetry to theatre and journalism, his journey encompasses a wealth of experience. Through this conversation, the Foundation explores the many dimensions of his cultural legacy, offering audiences the opportunity to hear firsthand the story of institution-building, visionary leadership and enduring aspirations that established culture as a cornerstone of the emirate. His work has played a vital role in shaping Sharjah into a destination for creators, dreamers and intellectuals across the region and beyond.
This session is free, and all materials are provided by Sharjah Art Foundation.
The Foundation is committed to making its programmes inclusive and accessible. You can arrange for any support needed through the registration form.
For more information, email learning@sharjahart.org, or call 06 5688800.
About Dr Yousif Aydabi
Poet, playwright, film critic and academic, Dr Yousif Aydabi is Cultural Advisor at Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies (2009–present). He has previously worked as Dean of the Institute of Music and Theater in Khartoum and a professor at universities in Sudan, Romania and the UAE. He is the author of many publications, including Al-Wafi fi Tarikh Al-Masrah fi Al-Sudan (Arab Theater Institute, 2025); Al-Turath Al-Sha'bi fi al-Emarat (Sharjah Institute for Heritage, 2014–2024); Fann al-Sawt al-Khaliji (Sharjah Institute for Heritage, 2022); and Al-Fan Al-Jadid Fi Al-Emarat (2018). He has received several awards, including Award of Honour, Carthage Theatre Days (2024); Award of Recognition and Honour, Damascus Theater Festival (2010); Culture and Media Pioneers Award, Taryam Omran Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Works, UAE (2010); and the Key of the City of Sharjah by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi (2009). Dr Aydabi holds a PhD in Theater History and Theory (Comparative Studies) from the University of Bucharest (1979).
About Ismail Al Rifai
Ismail Al Rifai (b. 1967, Syria) is an artist and writer whose work is rooted in the inner world of the human, the original site of becoming and from which ever-renewing forms emerge. For Al Rifai, creative practice is a process of revealing what lies hidden and unknown, where the image of the spirit takes precedence over outward form and individual experience converges with its universal origins. He is currently the Director of Translation and Arabic Content at Sharjah Art Foundation. He has presented numerous solo shows and participated in international biennials and other exhibitions. He is the author of several literary and critical publications, including A Promise on Closed Lips (2002), The Stairs of Clay (2006), At the Bend of the River (2021), Narrating Place: A Critical Reading of Sharjah’s Cultural Project (2022) and Inscriptions on the Cross (2025). He holds a BA in Fine Arts from Damascus University.
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