To the uninitiated, The British Council may appear to be a body whose main tasks are providing education, English language training and advice for UAE residents eager to attend university education in Britain, along with arranging the occasional visit to the UAE of British musicians, theatre groups and the like, to promote various aspects of British culture.

That is part of its role, but there is much more to it than that. Fundamental to its objectives is the desire to stimulate a creative dialogue and a sharing of experiences, in particular with regards to culture and education. That, of course, is a two-way process, which is how two delegates from the UAE’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development came to attend the annual Edinburgh Festival, held in the Scottish capital last August.

Members of a group of over 25 theatre professionals from the Middle East, actress Samira Ahmed and Dr. Habib Al Attar, the Ministry’s Director of Theatre, were invited to take part in the Edinburgh Showcase, a biennial event organised by The British Council alongside the Festival, which is the world’s biggest festival of the performing arts.

Their programme involved visits to a diverse mix of contemporary UK performance as well as panel discussions on the Arab theatre. Since the inaugural Edinburgh Showcase in 1997, The British Council has presented more than 150 productions to an invited audience of international theatre promoters with 90 per cent of the productions going on to tour globally as a result.

The visit also coincided with the launch by The British Council of its firstcomprehensive theatre programme in the Gulf region, working with local partners to develop a programme of tours, capacity building and collaborations.

Yara Moualla, the Council’s Arts Project Manager in the UAE, explains that one major aspect of the Council’s work in the CultureEmirates is that of “focusing on arts to build bridges between different cultures. The Edinburgh Showcase is a good example, highlighting the exciting potential of the theatre in bringing together the rich cultures of the society in which we live. Theatre is a powerful medium which allows us to gain a deeper understanding of culture and creates new insights into various facets of our society”.

Another new initiative by the British Council of potential benefit to Emiratis is its invitation to young UAE fashion designers to enter for the first International Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award. This new award aims to discover those talented and successful individuals who have both the creative flair and business edge to become future leaders and champions of their local fashion industry.

Ten entrepreneurs from around the world will win an all expenses paid trip to the prestigious international London Fashion Week in February 2008, a ‘Master-class’ with top UK designer and successful businessman Sir Paul Smith, as well as the opportunity to compete for the title of International Young Fashion Entrepreneur 2008.

The British Council invited entrants from four Gulf countries, including the UAE, to findoneregionalwinnerwhowill participate in the UK tour, with UAE nationals aged between 25-35, and with at least two years professional experience, having the chance to be selected to represent the UAE in the regional stage of the competition in November.

Paul Sellers, The British Council Director for the UAE, and leading local fashion industry experts will select the national UAE winner, assessing entries for their entrepreneurial ability, character and leadership ability.

“The UAE has a wealth of fashion talent so this is a terrific opportunity for fashion entrepreneurs here to step up and celebrate their success on the international stage,” Sellers said.

The promotion of culture and design, of course, works both ways, and The British Council is also sponsoring an exhibition of British jewellery design in Abu Dhabi in December, examining a spectrum of practitioners, from recent graduates to those who are already well-established across the fashion and jewellery industries.

Named ‘Alchemy – Contemporary Jewellery from Britain’ – the exhibition will also be staged in Dubai.