Under the slogan “Reimagining Arab Creativity: Innovation in Storytelling and Audience Engagement,” the fourth session of the “Arab Congress and Creative Industries 2025” will take place on September 14 and 15 at Union Arena in Abu Dhabi, gathering a distinguished group of Arab and international creatives and decision-makers in culture, technology, and media, within a program full of dialogues, workshops, and interactive sessions.

The congress is organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center affiliated with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, aiming to enhance the role of the Arabic language in enriching creative industries and contributing to shaping a renewed global cultural dialogue.

Dr. Ali bin Tamim, head of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center, stated that “The Arab Congress and Creative Industries 2025 is leveraging its successes to create a qualitative transformation in the world’s perception of Arab creativity; placing it in its rightful global position, in line with the richness of the Arabic language, its culture, and value system.”

He added: “For this purpose, the session includes a distinguished group of creative and professional experiences, including storytellers, artists, filmmakers, technology experts, and others from various cultures; exchanging visions and ideas in an environment full of innovations about ways to link Arab storytelling with the movement of creative industries, enhancing its presence to remain vibrant, renewed, and future-oriented, achieving the unique development visions led by Abu Dhabi as a leading global center for creative industries.”

This year’s session highlights the role of pioneering women, with participation from renowned actress and producer Hend Sabry, director and executive producer and drama creator Teema Al-Shomali, and founder and executive director of Aqeel Cinema, Buthaina Kazem, in a session about the role of women in reshaping Arab creative storytelling.

Award-winning director, actress, and filmmaker Nadine Labaki will join Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairwoman of Music Nation and Music City UAE, in a dialogue about the role of creativity in enhancing Arab identity.

The congress also offers a dialogue session between Mo Amer and Mo Judd on the power of personal storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence, raising important questions about prioritizing authenticity, diversity, and historical context over the rapid pace of technological advancement.

The program includes a session titled “Audiobooks: Opening Market Horizons in the Arab Region,” featuring Vice President of Global Strategy and Institutional Development at Penguin Random House, Aria Alvarez, Regional Content Head at Audible, Paulo Limgrobar, and co-founder and general manager of the Rfouf platform, Ammar Mardawi. The session is moderated by international publishing consultant and audiobook ambassador for the Frankfurt Book Fair, Carlo Carenio.

A trilateral dialogue titled “Arabic Language Between a Present Crisis and an Upcoming Transformation” discusses the rapid changes between Modern Standard Arabic and local dialects amid increasing change pace, featuring Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chair Professor of Arabic Language and Director of the Arabic Language Research and Development Center at Zayed University, Dr. Hanada Taha, and Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Google for the Middle East and North Africa, Forbes 30 Under 30 creative Mervat Khost.

The debate “Between Bestsellers and Literary Criticism: Literary Value in Arabic Fiction Works” discusses the ongoing controversy between popular literary tastes and the influence of literary taste makers on Arabic literary genres, with academic and literary critic Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghadhami from King Saud University in Riyadh and Dr. Raida Al-Amiri, literary criticism professor at the University of Babylon.

The session “The Past from a Digital Perspective: Creative Approaches in the History of Manuscripts” redraws our understanding of civilization history through manuscripts, with participation from Zayed National Museum Director Dr. Peter Magee, researcher and academic Dr. Bilal Al-Arfeh Li, Chair of Sheikh Zayed Arab and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut, and Director of the School of Illumination and Decoration at Fujairah Academy of Fine Arts, Dr. Israa Al-Haml.

Experts and talents

The congress offers a series of workshops and training courses led by experts from prestigious global and regional institutions such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google, alongside prominent creatives like screenwriter and founder and executive director of the Dramatic Writing Narration Chamber Mariam Naoum, and game design expert Fawzi Mismar, aiming to develop practical and creative skills among young talents, designers, developers, and content creators.

• The congress events start on September 14 and continue for two days.

Ali bin Tamim:

• The Arab Congress and Creative Industries invests its successes to create a qualitative transformation in the world’s perception of Arab creativity.