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Casa Árabe named Sheikh Zayed Cultural Personality of the Year
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced Spanish cultural organisation Casa Árabe as winner of its Cultural Personality of the Year 2024.
Casa Árabe is a Spanish public institution with headquarters in Madrid and Córdoba, Spain, created with the aim of being a centre for studies and knowledge about the Arab world.
It also includes a language centre, where it teaches Arabic language courses. The centre is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of Arab culture across the Spanish-speaking world, with a particular focus on Spain. Roughly 600,000 native Arabic speakers currently reside in the country, making Arabic the second most spoken language by Spain’s foreign population.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality of the Year category honours a prominent Arab or international figure or organisation whose contributions have significantly propelled the advancement of Arabic culture through their work, epitomising tolerance and making a profound impact on cultural understanding and harmony.
Dr Ali bin Tamim, secretary-general of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said: “It is my great pleasure to recognise and honour Casa Árabe as the distinguished recipient of the 2024 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Cultural Personality of the Year. Casa Árabe’s profound influence on the cultural exchange between Spain and the Arab world is commendable, particularly through their significant work in championing and promoting and celebrating the Arabic language.
“The historical connection between Arab culture and the Spanish-speaking world, dating back to the era of Al-Andalus, underscores the significance of organisations such as Casa Árabe, which are devoted to nurturing and preserving these enduring cultural bonds. We are proud to celebrate Casa Árabe, an organisation which places such an emphasis on strengthening and enhancing and maintaining these longstanding cultural ties.”
Irene Lozano Domingo, general director of Casa Árabe, said: “This award is an endorsement of our country’s cultural contribution and of the public diplomacy promoted by the Spanish institutions, especially in the Arab world. For Casa Árabe, this award is a great encouragement to continue working on mutual cultural exchange and exploring the ties between Spanish society and the Arab world. All of this through culture, coexistence and peace.”
The winners of the 18th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award will be celebrated at the official award ceremony on the 30th April, during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. As Cultural Personality of the Year, Casa Árabe will receive 1 million UAE dirhams (£214,161 / €251,416). This prize recognises the organisation’s past achievements and supports its ongoing work of cultural diplomacy and intercultural exchange.
