As the UAE gears up to mark the Golden Jubilee celebrations, Expo 2020 Dubai is launching a landmark opera, in collaboration with Welsh National Opera (WNO), that honours thousands of years of UAE history, its achievements to date and its aspirations for the future.

Vibrantly bringing to life the story of the UAE through the hopes, dreams and values of its people, Al Wasl Opera’s premiere run takes place at Dubai Opera from 16-19 December, making it the perfect opportunity to celebrate the nation’s remarkable 50-year journey of accomplishments through a unique artistic showcase.

Showing on four nights only, tickets are now available for this UAE cultural milestone, which features more than 100 artists and musicians, as well as a production team of 70 professionals.

Composed by Mohammed Fairouz, co-authored and written by Maha Gargash, directed by Sir David Pountney and conducted by Justin Brown, Al Wasl Opera’s inspiring tale of unity, collaboration and innovation also offers a wonderful Christmas and seasonal treat.

Al Wasl Opera will be presented in English, with a runtime of 120 minutes, including one intermission. Tickets start from Dhs300 and are available from the Dubai Opera website.

Renewing the relationship: During the month of November, Canada is presented an all-Indigenous delegation of performers, speakers, panellists and cultural contributors during the Tolerance and Inclusivity week and the Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous & Tribal Ideas.

The programme curated by Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) is an integral part of Canada’s overall participation at Expo 2020 and its theme “The Future in Mind”, which invited visitors to reflect on how to address emerging challenges between humans and nature and seize opportunities for innovation. The cultural programme that is dynamic, diverse, and rich in culture, welcomes visitors to discover and learn more about the richness of Indigenous cultures, as well as their lived experiences.

Participants include JUNO Award-winning Celeigh Cardinal, the west coast Dancers of Damelahamid, spoken word artist Zoey Pricelys Roy, activist Sarain Fox, Governor General Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring, and internationally recognized bands Digging Roots and Shawnee Kish. As well, Christine Frederick will hold a truthful, reconciling, and inclusive dialogue, to strengthen the ties that unite us and look toward the planet’s future with optimism while acknowledging the past.

On the 15th of November, Canada produced a special show to kick off the Te Aratini Festival from the Jubilee Stage at Expo. The programme highlighted Canada’s traditions and philosophy of gifting. Performers offered their gift of artistic expression and share their contribution to the unified space.

Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous & Tribal Ideas organised with a number of international partners, under strong leadership from New Zealand, is an opportunity for Canada to hold a truthful, reconciling and inclusive dialogue to acknowledge the past, look towards a promising future and strengthen the unity with Indigenous Peoples.

“At Expo 2020 Dubai, Canada’s theme, “The Future in Mind’’ - with a strong focus on diversity and innovation - is also an invitation to reflect on opportunities for reconciliation both in Canada and around the world. This month, in partnership with Canada’s National Arts Centre, we are proud to welcome a number of Indigenous Canadian artists and creators who performed on-site during Tolerance and Inclusivity Week, Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous & Tribal Ideas, and at Expo Jubilee Beats. The promotion of Indigenous culture and languages is a powerful tool for healing, reconciliation and the promotion of a strong sense of identity. We join our international partners across Expo 2020 Dubai in this important collective endeavor.”

Marie-Genevieve Mounier, Commissioner General of Canada at Expo 2020 Dubai said, “Canada’s National Arts Centre is committed to showcasing the importance and cultural uniqueness of Indigenous artistic voices and ideas, at home and abroad. This outstanding group of Indigenous artists shined on the world stage at Expo 2020 Dubai during Tolerance & Inclusivity Week and share their insight and experience at the Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous & Tribal Ideas. It’s the perfect opportunity to bring people together through culture and artistic expression, looking forward to the future.”

Finnish Pavilion: KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, is participating as the national partner of the Finnish Pavilion at expo 2020. The Finnish pavilion introduces a peaceful haven full of surprises where visitors can discover the country’s natural beauty and knack for innovation from education and sustainable technologies to health and wellbeing. During this time, KONE will be showcasing its advanced, digitalised products and solutions which help ease the flow of people in new and existing buildings, contributing to mitigating the challenges that are introduced by urbanisation as cities continue to evolve.

The KONE DX Class elevator - the first digitally connected elevator series in the world, that uses the KONE digital platform and secure APIs to connect elevators with a whole new suite of solutions and services - will have a prime location in the centre of the Finnish Pavilion for the next six months. Furthermore, KONE will also be highlighting its latest partner solutions. One of the many partnerships being with iLoQ, a Finnish growth company that has transformed mechanical locking into highly functional and immensely secure digital access management. This partnership not only helps bring to life new solutions to increase security functions, but it reflects the theme of the exhibition that stands for ‘connecting minds and building the future’. The theme also thrives through the KONE Partner Ecosystem, which is a network of innovative solution providers that share the common goal of offering solutions to combat urbanization challenges.

One of KONE’s main visions is to uphold sustainable mobility and this vision is reflected in the solutions it offers. Two of the main ways this is achieved is through the upgrading and modernization solutions it offers. Upgrading an elevator can increase space by up to 50 per cent and modernizing it will allow up to 70 per cent energy saving since the product’s life extension is ensured.

These are only two of the ways through which KONE ensures that it positively contributes to a building’s life cycle.

Imtiaz Mahtab, Regional Managing Director of KONE Middle East and Africa commented: “We are very proud to be the national partner of the Finland Pavilion at expo 2020 and be able to showcase our advanced people flow technologies and solutions.

These demonstrate how KONE sustainably and effectively makes navigation accessible for all through digitalization and smart city integration. As a recognized world leader in our industry, we look forward to continuing our partnership with various key stakeholders in the ecosystem.