Abu Dhabi digital museum to celebrate Sheikh Zayed and Gandhi

DUBAI: The life and work of Mahatma Gandhi and the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, were celebrated at the soft launch of a digital museum in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj participated in the launch of the Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum for Peace, Tolerance and Sustainability, which will showcase the lives of the two icons, both regarded as the “father” of their nations.
The soft launch took place at the Founder’s Memorial on the Corniche road of the capital as part of Swaraj’s two-day visit to the UAE.
The museum will house rare photographs, videos and objects representing the lives, works and philosophy of the two leaders. The launch is aligned with Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and Sheikh Zayed’s 100th birth anniversary, which is being celebrated across the country as the “Year of Zayed.”
The announcement for the proposed museum was made in New Delhi by Swaraj and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, in July this year.
A statement released by the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said that both Gandhi and Sheikh Zayed impacted innumerable lives through their vision and leadership, adding that the museum will be a reflection of the similarities they shared, the influence they wielded and the changes they brought about in the world.
“Mahatma Gandhi believed in the power of peace, truth and non-violence and Sheikh Zayed was a proponent of peace, tolerance and cultural diversity,” the statement read.
Swaraj was accompanied by Noura bint Mohammed Al-Kaabi, UAE minister of culture and knowledge development, at the Manarat Al-Saadiyat arts hub in Abu Dhabi.
The museum is scheduled to open in March next year. The exhibition will be organized by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development in cooperation with the Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museum, the first-of-its-kind joint digital project between India and the UAE.