Virtual conference to explore history of pandemics in the Arab World

Abu Dhabi: A virtual conference next week will explore the history of pandemics in the Arab World.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT), the annual GCC Heritage and Oral History conference will be livestreamed on the Abu Dhabi Culture YoutTube channel on September 22. This year’s theme is ‘History of Pandemics in the Arabian Peninsula’.

Every year, the annual meeting, now in its eighth edition, convenes oral history experts and scholars in an attempt to safeguard this shared heritage of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

“We cannot progress without taking heed of the lessons from the past. This conference is a vital force for the preservation and dissemination of knowledge from sources that are often ignored or lost. This year’s theme could not have been more timely. As we examine regional responses to historic pandemics, it is our hope that we may glean some of the wisdom and lessons learned by our ancestors for use in our current situation,” said Saeed Hamad Al-Kaabi, intangible heritage director at the DCT.