As conflict continues across the Middle East, the UAE’s creative community is responding with gestures of solidarity, gratitude and reflection.
The UAE National Orchestra released a musical tribute honouring those defending the country. Titled Men, by God, Truly Men, the composition sets President Sheikh Mohamed’s poem Rijal Wallah Rijal to music.
Ahmed Farag, conductor of the tribute, tells The National: “When we began rehearsing this piece, there was a strong sense of purpose in the room. Every musician understood that we were performing something that carries deep meaning for the country.
“In the final moments, the soprano voices introduce a reflective and resonant layer, bringing the piece to a powerful close. It becomes a musical expression of respect and gratitude.”
It is one of many responses emerging across the cultural landscape – artists, musicians and institutions finding ways to reflect both the gravity of the moment and the values that shape life here.
In doing so, they are also expressing something more enduring: a deep connection to a country that, for many, represents stability, generosity and home.
That feeling is not easily left behind. As Manuel Rabate prepares to step down as director of Louvre Abu Dhabi after nearly a decade, he reflected on how profoundly his time in the UAE has shaped him in a conversation with Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief, and myself for The National’s latest TN Magazine cover story.
“I touched the soul of this country,” he says. “I came here as a professional working on a museum project. But when you live here, when your children grow up here, when you experience the diversity of people who call this place home, it changes you.”
Across the world – including at Sunday’s Oscars – cultural figures are also using their platforms to call for an end to the conflict.
Actor Javier Bardem, presenting at the ceremony wearing a Handala pin, voiced a simple message: “No to war, free Palestine,” drawing applause from the audience. He was one of several prominent voices to express solidarity, with others using the moment to call for an end to the violence.
Among them was the team behind the nominated Gaza-set film The Voice of Hind Rajab. Palestinian actress Saja Kilani, who stars in the film, told media: “All our struggles are connected. So is our liberation. Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and Venezuela, everywhere. This is a demand for a permanent ceasefire.”
Together, these moments reflect a wider cultural response – one that extends far beyond the region, but remains closely felt within it, and echoes the sense of solidarity seen across the UAE’s creative community.
Nabil Nahas unveils his forthcoming Venice Biennale installation
Nabil Nahas has spent more than five decades redefining the boundaries of abstraction. As the Lebanese-American artist prepares to represent Lebanon at the Venice Art Biennale this year, his work for the national pavilion feels like a culmination of the many artistic chapters of his career.
Titled Don’t Get Me Wrong, and curated by Nada Ghandour, Nahas’s vision for the Lebanese Pavilion will unfold as an immersive space in Venice's Arsenale shipyard, exploring the relationship between humanity, nature and the cosmos.
The pavilion is an ode to Lebanon’s fluid, multicultural essence, celebrating unity within diversity. It captures the beauty of contradictions – a central theme in Nahas’s decades-long artistic journey between Lebanon and the US, where he is based.
Find more here.
One Piece cast reveal first season three details
With the second season of Netflix’s One Piece now complete, attention is already turning to what comes next for the pirate saga.
As fans of the manga and anime know, the events of season two largely serve as a bridge to a much larger story. The new episodes push Monkey D Luffy and his Straw Hat crew into the Grand Line for the first time, adapting fan-favourite arcs including Loguetown, Little Garden and Drum Island.
Together, these storylines lay the groundwork for the Arabasta saga – one of the first truly epic turning points in Eiichiro Oda’s series and probably the focal point for the entirety of season three.
For the actors bringing the Straw Hat crew to life, the scale of what comes next is already becoming clear. With season three having entered production in November, according to Variety, the cast say the next chapter is already pushing the series into new territory.
“There are moments in season three that I feel in my heart would never have been possible on any other kind of TV show,” Taz Skylar, who plays Sanji, tells The National.
Find more here.
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