The photograph is no longer merely a snapshot capturing a fleeting moment; it has become a language parallel to the written word, preserving memory and narrating the transformations of people and place. This is the founding premise of the "The Image Witnesses" initiative, launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, to establish a cultural and knowledge project that places photography at the heart of knowledge production and the preservation of national identity.
The initiative is driven by a vision that seeks to entrench the photograph's role as a witness to human experience and civilisational memory, highlighting its function as a tool for cultural documentation that preserves the details of the exceptional development journey witnessed by the United Arab Emirates and its capital Abu Dhabi, and presents them anew to younger generations in a contemporary visual language.
"The Image Witnesses" goes beyond the concept of traditional archiving, viewing the photograph as a visual discourse that possesses the same capacity as the written word to narrate history and social, cultural, and human transformations, making it an authentic part of the cultural and knowledge landscape.
Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, told Emirates News Agency (WAM): "The photograph represents a human and cultural heritage of great importance, and the responsibility of cultural institutions does not stop at preserving this heritage and making it available to future generations — it extends to developing the skills to read it and understand its messages, transforming this visual repository into applicable knowledge that contributes to the renaissance of society and strengthens the knowledge-based economy."
He added that "the 'The Image Witnesses' initiative reflects the Centre's belief that the photograph has become an essential partner to the text in preserving memory and producing knowledge," noting that the initiative seeks to build a comprehensive visual narrative that documents the spirit of place and the details of daily life, and highlights the transformations Abu Dhabi has undergone across the decades.
He confirmed that the initiative is aligned with the principles of the "Year of the Family," and that the Centre has accordingly ensured its activities are open to all segments of society, with particular attention given to young people and youth, with the aim of preparing a generation that is aware of its cultural heritage, capable of employing the tools of the cultural and creative industries, and of drawing on the past in the service of the present and the shaping of the future.
He explained that the photograph is not merely a means of recording events, but a window for understanding societies and their evolution, noting that what distinguishes the Emirati experience is its ability to combine the preservation of authenticity with openness to the future — something the initiative seeks to consolidate by promoting a culture of visual documentation and enriching the cultural publishing sector.
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre has chosen Qasr Al Hosn as the focal point of the initiative's first edition, as it is Abu Dhabi's oldest landmark and most prominent historical symbol, and because the earliest known photograph of this monument dates to 1901, when it was taken by the American Samuel Zwemer during his visit to Abu Dhabi, in which he described the fort as "a thrilling castle." That image marked the beginning of the modern visual documentation of the emirate's history.
Qasr Al Hosn stands as a witness to the journey of transformations that Abu Dhabi has lived through, as photographers' lenses documented across the decades the evolution of this historical landmark and the urban, social, and cultural changes surrounding it, making the photograph itself a part of the story and a means of tracking the development of place and people alike.
The first edition of "The Image Witnesses" encompasses a diverse range of events, foremost among them a photography competition that allows participants to document Qasr Al Hosn from multiple artistic angles, across 4 categories: architectural photography, black and white, light and shadow, and creative editing using artificial intelligence tools.
The initiative also includes dialogue sessions and cultural seminars featuring a selection of photography artists and researchers in history and the arts, to discuss the role of the photograph in preserving collective memory and re-presenting heritage in an innovative visual language, as well as strengthening cultural dialogue between the United Arab Emirates and the world.
The initiative will host a photography exhibition held as part of the upcoming edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, taking place from 13 to 18 September, to offer an interactive visual experience combining historical and contemporary photographs that document Abu Dhabi's journey of comprehensive renaissance and cultural and urban transformations, through a blend of still images and modern visual projections.
The first edition's events will conclude with the publication of a documentary book compiling the selected works and photographs, forming a visual reference that documents a facet of the memory of place, and affirming that the photograph is not merely a reflection of the past, but a means of preserving it, rediscovering it, and transmitting it to the future.