Latifa bint Mohammed says museums help nurture mutual understanding and reinforce sense of connection

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), affirmed that places that preserve culture and shared human stories feel more important than ever today. Museums offer the opportunity to encounter humanity beyond the immediacy of the external circumstances, reminding us that culture has always been one of the ways people make sense of the world and find connection with one another across generations and geographies.

This is what makes this year’s International Museum Day theme, ‘Museums Uniting a Divided World,’ feel especially relevant. Museums do not ask us to erase our differences but to create spaces where those differences can be understood and appreciated. 

In Dubai, a city shaped by people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, museums help nurture mutual understanding and reinforce the sense of connection that allows communities to thrive together. As we continue building for the future, museums also remind us that progress should never come at the expense of memory or identity and that societies must be anchored in their values while encouraging new generations to engage with the world.