RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Singapore will host its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai showcasing its “Singaporean mindset and intangible cultural capital,” the country’s cultural minister said.
“We have five creative industries pillars, which are the pillars of our vision. We believe in Singaporean ingenuity and we believe that our culture is our most valuable asset,” arts and culture and library minister Lam Pin Min said in an interview during the e-Festival in Riyadh on Saturday.
He said that as part of the pavilion, visitors can view the Singaporean life-style and try it out in their residence. “We will have stalls that will change how people live. It will be open and very interactive,” Lam said.
Asked about the future, he said: “We want to see Singaporean intellectual assets go beyond what has been done before.”
The minister was the guest of honor at the Dubai Culture UAE pavilion, which officially opened on Saturday. The pavilion is managed by PAMTA, which is Dubai’s Cultural Agency, working closely with Ministry of Youth and Sports under the patronage of the Dubai Crown Prince.
Dina Ould Ahmed Al Suwaidi, chairwoman of the Dubai Culture UAE pavilion, said: “We have a wonderful partnership with the government of Singapore, a country we hope will be our partner in 2020. Through this partnership, we are going to integrate our Emirates culture through a design philosophy that reflects the dynamism and creative vision of the Singapore government. The Singapore Pavilion will be an oasis in the desert as our principles of integrity, independence and quality will be embodied in the UAE Pavilion design in Dubai.”
Malaysia’s ambassador to the UAE, Habibah Rahim, was also present at the opening ceremony. She added that Malaysia supports all efforts to ensure the success of Expo 2020. “The cooperation between the UAE and Malaysia has always been comprehensive. The first initiative between the two countries was under the Vision 2030.”
Asked if Malaysia has any project on hand to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai, she said, “It is too early to say but Malaysia is extremely keen on participating in Expo 2020 Dubai.”
Organizers said this year’s e-Festival is one of the largest in the Kingdom’s history and aims to empower various segments of the community through digital media. “With this festival, we are working closely with private, public and community sectors to give the youth an opportunity to develop their skills through digital media. There are some aspects of our society that the youth feel need attention. This festival is aimed at moving the Kingdom forward through learning, training and technology”, said Hussan Mohammed Al Nuaimi, co-ordinator of e-Festival.
He said that this year’s e-Festival will provide the private sector with vast training, development and management options. “With the festival’s theme ‘We Are Here’, we believe that technology has the ability to bring about significant cultural change. This festival will equip young leaders with digital and innovative skills to move forward from the current stage to more advanced and dynamic stages”, said Al Nuaimi.
He added that in line with the theme of the festival, this year’s e-Festival was strengthened with the launch of two world-first ventures, the e-Festival Sky Innovations Lab and the e-Festival Virtual Reality Lab.
Clement Sabahi, GM of e-Festival, said: “We have been working closely with the General Authority of Training and Service in the private sector to provide a training resource that provides youth with knowledge and skills relevant to their current and future professional and personal demands. We also hope that the innovation on display in the e-Festival will nurture the future generation to be innovative professionals with improved creativity, entrepreneurial energy and focus”.
Sabahi further added that the festival also offers children and youth a platform to explore the digital space, interact with the practitioners and learn about how technology is changing the future of creativity and technology.