00:00Understanding a culture and understanding a nation, you would have to dig deeper into
00:11their culture.
00:12You will find crafts are rooted in the identity of any society.
00:18And so for us, telling the story of crafts at Expo in a manner that is forward-looking
00:29and looking to the future, it was important for us to bring it under the umbrella of Menasa,
00:40the Emirati design platform.
00:43Menasa offers us an opportunity and offers the visitor an opportunity to experience Emirati
00:52culture, understand Emirati identity and environment, but also do it through collections that are
01:04showcased at Menasa space.
01:07The design collections that we are showcasing are also telling you the story of the UAE,
01:14are also telling you the story of our crafts, is telling you the story of our traditions,
01:24our heritage, our rituals.
01:27When you have and you interact with an item, a collection at Menasa, you are getting a
01:35glimpse into our culture.
01:38Expo 2020's main theme is connecting minds and creating the future.
01:45With Menasa, the Emirati design platform, which showcases designs inspired by crafts,
01:52we are talking about connecting hands and we are talking about crafts and design that
02:01are in dialogue and are telling stories.
02:05You experience stories and stories seen through the lens of innovation, technology, sustainability,
02:18but really rooted very much in our traditions and our rituals and our ceremonies and our
02:27characters.
02:28So you get a mix of our, a glimpse into our social life, a glimpse into our, the geography
02:38of the UAE, all expressed and showcased through collections that you will see at Menasa.
02:48We have at Menasa over 40 designers that have come together and we have brought together
02:58the design sector of the UAE and this is across the whole of the UAE from including all seven
03:10Emirates and the point is for us to show the diversity of the design scene.
