From April 6 to 8, NYU Abu Dhabi hosted the sixth annual Global Shakespeare Student Festival, a highly anticipated event in the calendars of the tight-knit community that has been formed around the event.

Teams from across the world converged in the diverse and culturally welcoming space that is NYUAD. Student teams from Cairo University in Egypt, Mary Baldwin University in the U.S., Ashoka University in India and NYUAD explored Shakespeare using the text Pericles, a lesser-known and somewhat controversial play. The faculty from the represented universities held master classes and each team led a workshop for the rest of the participants.

A segment of the festival was a public reading of three short one-act plays written by NYUAD students and inspired by Shakespeare’s Cardenio. At the end of the festival, the student teams presented a series of short performances deeply rooted in their respective cultures and inspired by Pericles.

On April 11, the Cultural Engagement interns organized a meditation session by Mariam Abdulla Ketait, the creator of the art installation Al Rowaiha. They transformed the East Plaza into a peaceful and meditative space, with a set-up of candles, beverages and cacti.

The art piece central to the meditation, combining a sailboat and a meditation chair, was inspired by Emirati heritage. The artist’s aim for this project was to create a space where people can breathe, relax and connect with nature, creating a way to take a break and experience a moment away from life. For her, meditation and this project is her “answer to anything that goes wrong.”.