Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom:
On Saturday, the proceedings of the Yemeni Cultural Summit 2026 kicked off in the city of Mukalla, Hadramawt Governorate, with the participation of a select group of intellectuals, media professionals, and creatives from various governorates. The event seeks to crystalize a new vision for Yemeni culture and its role in consolidating peace and enhancing social cohesion.
The two-day summit features panel discussions examining the transformations witnessed by the cultural sector over the past ten years, alongside preparing future visions and plans extending until the year 2036, with a focus on supporting youth and expanding the role of culture in building community stability.
Member of the Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Al-Khanbashi, inaugurated the opening of the summit. He also opened the “Arts Zone,” implemented by the Hadramawt Foundation for Culture in partnership with the European Union, the British Council, and UNESCO.
Al-Khanbashi emphasized that convening the summit represents a step toward restoring the vital role of culture as an influential tool in spreading the values of peace and coexistence, pointing to the historical status that Hadramawt enjoys as a cradle for creativity, thought, and literature throughout various eras.
For his part, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Hussein Basaleem said that the summit comes at an important time to strengthen the path toward sustainable peace, pointing out that supporting the cultural sector is not limited to sponsoring the arts, but also includes empowering youth, stimulating innovation, and involving them in cultural decision-making.
In turn, UNESCO representative Salah Khaled explained that the organization continues its support for efforts to protect heritage and develop the cultural sector in Yemen, noting work on preparing a national strategy to ensure the sustainability of cultural initiatives.
The representative of the British Council, Alaa Qassam, stressed that culture represents an essential necessity and not a marginal activity, considering the summit an opportunity to revitalize the Yemeni cultural scene despite current challenges.
In the same context, Tasneem Ayesh, Climate, Heritage, and Culture Projects Officer at the European Union, praised the efforts of the Hadramawt Foundation for Culture and the participating partners, considering that the summit constitutes a platform for exchanging expertise and enhancing investment in culture as a means to preserve identity, support creativity, and strengthen social ties.
