Zaki Nusseibeh

As an observer and participant in the tremendous growth of the United Arab Emirates over the last fifty years, Zaki Nusseibeh has devoted his life to cultural diplomacy in Abu Dhabi, and its artistic influence. Nusseibeh is the first member from the Arabian Gulf region to be elected to the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences at the Institut de France. A recognition that merits the cover of the second edition of Standing, the first international media to traverse the link between the United Arab Emirates and France.

He often mentions the good fortune he had crossing paths with Sheikh Zayed. Yet the reverse is also true. The United Arab Emirates and its founding father had boundless good luck in finding Zaki Nusseibeh, on their shared path to a remarkable future. The translator, adviser, and friend of the First President of the United Arab Emirates has devoted fifty-five years of his life to the progress and influence of a state that has embraced him and offered him its nationality.

Zaki Nusseibeh was raised in the beautiful quarters of Jerusalem, among a loving family, where diplomats and religious dignitaries – a member of the Nusseibeh family is always the holder of the keys to the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – nestle with politicians. He was born in the holy city among three monotheistic religions. And this cosmopolitanism has been the leitmotif of a life given over to tolerance, benevolence, and coexistence. 

Anwar, the family patriarch, was an emblematic figure in the Palestinian community. War wounded, he enjoyed the respect and admiration of his son, to whom he bequeathed a passion for literature and the ability to hold his own with the world’s greatest statesmen. As a Minister for King Hussein of Jordan, in his capacity as ambassador from Jordan to London he introduced Sheikh Zayed to his son Zaki in 1966. Nusseibeh the younger, freshly graduated from the legendary Rugby College in Warwickshire and Queen's College Cambridge, fell under the spell and magnetism of the Sage of the Arabs, as he is called. Not surprising: Sheikh Zayed naturally attracted attention. This man of the desert spoke from his heart and was friendly and loyal, generous, and respectful. Like the great nomads, he permanently harboured concern for humanity in the core of his being, and an all-consuming passion for humankind.

It was because of this interest in others, and a shared obsession in the common good, that they first bonded. They were to meet again a year later in Abu Dhabi where the Founder of the UAE was by now Governor of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi before the establishment of the Federation. This meeting took place at Qasr Al Hosn, the ancestral fort of the Al Nahyyan family. After being appointed as the Govenor’s Director of information and translator, Zaki Nusseibeh met kings, queens and presidents from all over the world. At just 22 years old, he participated in Sheikh Zayed’s meeting with Queen Elizabeth II in London…

The library itself has over 50,000 works, and like the United Arab Emirates is constantly growing. The walls, a true ode to modern and contemporary art, are a voyage round Central Asia, Iran, and the Middle East. This truly extraordinary house is in the residential part of Al Markhaniyyah and as well as magnificent works of art has a unique collection of classical music CDs, opera and notably Wagner. It becomes clear why Zaki Nusseibeh is the chair of the UAE chapter of the International Friends of Richard Wagner Society after having already directed the Richard Wagner Foundation 

When he's not taking care of his mind, Zaki Nusseibeh takes care of his body, and his physique is worthy of a Cambridge student. At the age of 76, he restricts himself to one hour of walking daily and watches his diet. "I'm not very gourmet" he informs us. There are further mental gymnastics that mark out this administrator of the Arab World Institute. He draws at random from one his poems every day as he juggles from one language to the other. From one source of pleasure to another. From one country to another. He reads and speaks with the same spirit and similar finesse in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and of course Arabic. “Being a polyglot has always helped me understand my interlocutors, to be closer to them, to establish a healthy climate of trust,” says Zaki Nusseibeh. Sheikh Zayed's successors have also placed their trust in Zaki Nusseibeh who has never ceased to have the ear of the United Arab Emirates’ leadership. The late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the new President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have always heeded and been deferential to his vision, intelligence, and loyalty. 

Thus, in 2017 Zaki Nusseibeh was named Minister of State in charge of cultural diplomacy. It is the best supporting role of his life. His first role, his main quest, is certainly honouring and disseminating Sheikh Zayed’s legacy. " I will carry on with this until my twilight years, highlighting the spiritual impact and intellectual ideas sown by Sheikh Zayed,” says Zaki Nusseibeh. “And I invite my children to wear this hat as well…” With his three children, Lana, Diyala and Anwar, Zaki Nusseibeh can afford to sit back and relax and enjoy the treasures of his XXL library. Lana, a representative of the United Arab Emirates at the UN, Diyala, Director of Abu Dhabi Art and Anwar, a partner behind the Mubadala investment companies, have the talent and the humanity to carry the historical weight of the Sheikh Zayed and the moral weight of their dad, who managed the feat of being both a witness and a player in the transformation of the United Arab Emirates. 

In a magnificent ceremony at the Institut de France in Paris, you were inaugurated into the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. What does this recognition from France mean to you?

I am humbly touched by this honour and the responsibility conferred by it. But I am also very proud to be the first citizen of the United Arab Emirates to enter the Academy. I have had the honour of serving this country for most of my career, as an adopted citizen. It really is a momentous event in the trajectory of my personal life. This election highlights the values, the aspirations, and the capacity of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the inspirational people I’ve met there. So, it is with great humility and respect mixed with admiration that I have the privilege of assuming the place of my eminent predecessor, Professor Jean Starobinsky. I am honoured to enter the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences alongside great icons from the French cultural world. I am even prouder that this Academy, chaired by Rémi Brague, has considerable weight not only in France but all round the world.

We felt you were very moved at the time of your induction... 

Lots of feelings and memories all came back. I have had the luck of being deeply involved in the journey the United Arab Emirates has taken. It is a country steeped in the humanitarian characteristics of its leaders and their practices. It is to this country, to pay homage, that I defer my election to the Academy, and to its founder, the Sheikh Zayed, who caused me a very emotional moment during the ceremony. Sheikh Zayed was a huge humanitarian like the current secretary of the Academy, Jean- Robert Pitte. I also thought of Sheikh Zayed's first state visit to France, in 1975, at the invitation of President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. It was not only the beginning of a very close relationship between France and the United Arab Emirates but also of my professional and personal link with Sheikh Zayed. 

This distinction crowns your lifelong passion for the Francophonie. As part of my Executive role in the department responsible for culture, heritage, and tourism in Abu Dhabi, I sought to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the Francophonie. Close relationships between the United Arab Emirates and the greater Francophonie are based on mutual considerations in terms of economic, political and security strategy development. More importantly, they share common values and ideals. 

Was it your father Anwar, who was a diplomat, who imparted you with the love of foreign languages?

In the first place I grew up in Jerusalem which is a cosmopolitan city with cultures and languages from all over the world. Then, of course, my diplomat father welcomed lots of foreign visitors to our house. We also travelled very regularly which was extraordinarily lucky, to the extent that I had an open, liberal education, it was a multicultural childhood that I would describe as happy. 

What were your dreams when you were young in Jerusalem?

I saw myself as either a lawyer or a diplomat. But I didn't know this future was to happen in the United Arab Emirates. 

Do you remember your first steps in Abu Dhabi? 

In the summer of 1964, I spent the holiday with my sister in Kuwait. She suggested we visit Abu Dhabi where our family owned a construction company. Abu Dhabi was a very small village then, an emirate that was trying to blossom.

Can you tell us how you met Sheikh Zayed? 

I was a student in England, at Cambridge, and my father was a Jordanian ambassador in London. He was close to Sheikh Zayed and the Abu Dhabi royal family and Sheikh Zayed was received at the Embassy for a dinner. But I had no idea that my career would be linked to this man who impressed me at first sight. Nor that I would have the chance to play a small role in the history of the United Arab Emirates by working so closely with its founding father, Sheikh Zayed, and with its current leaders as well. 

It was the Six Day War, in June 1967, between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Syria that changed your life….  

This is a bit of a shortcut but it's not wrong! Because of the conflict, it was impossible to go back to Jerusalem. My father suggested that I move to Abu Dhabi and work in the family business there. Our construction company had great potential in a developing country. But the construction field did not interest me, it had nothing to do with my studies at Cambridge University, so I became journalist. I was a freelance press correspondent in Abu Dhabi for news agencies like Reuters and AFP and for media like the British daily Financial Times and The Economist, which is weekly. Abu Dhabi was a village where everyone knew everyone else. I had the opportunity of meeting all the prominent personalities including Sheikh Zayed. In 1968, an English television channel asked me to direct a documentary about him. I spoke English and Arabic so I could ask the questions and do the translating. It was very interesting. I had read a lot of books about Sheikh Zayed. At the end of the job, he asked me to work with him. My life changed completely. 

The United Arab Emirates’ destiny is intimately linked with Sheikh Zayed... 

Explaining the exceptional aspects of this country means referring to Sheikh Zayed’s vision and values, he was the ultimate Renaissance man who represented the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason in the Arabian Peninsula and who for four decades became an essential part of it, and its architect. Today, the Emirates’ institutions guarantee our statehood and embody its humanitarian world view. The fabric of the country and the identity of its inhabitants are imbued with the values of Sheikh Zayed. 

What was your job with Sheikh Zayed? 

I was attached to the government's media and information department. I worked to create newspapers, radios, and televisions. Parallel with this, I became the Official Island Translator for Sheikh Zayed. I accompanied him everywhere, in the Emirates, abroad, during his meetings with heads of state, diplomats and journalists. I was preparing and organizing speeches, briefing notes and meetings. He had incredible charisma. He attracted people. The greatest personalities all round the world wanted meet Sheikh Zayed. It was an exhilarating remit, and I had the good fortune to meet this man on the way. 

What was the secret of Sheikh Zayed's charisma? 

Sheikh Zayed spoke from his heart. He was driven by a passion to serve others. And this transpired from his soul. He was also extremely visionary. In the 1960s, the Sheikh Zayed had already told me about his ambition to open his country up to the modernity of the international community yet keeping the heritage and soul of Emirati culture. 

What main quality did Sheikh Payed recognize in you? 

No doubt he saw in me a man of culture. In 1969 he wanted to establish the first museum in the Emirates at al Ain, and I was associated with this. There was a lack of an infrastructure base for the city, but the construction of a museum was urgent and paramount for Sheikh Zayed. He wanted our first museum to be an archaeology museum. To envisage the future, it is necessary to know the past and its history. Education, teaching, and training resounded so many priorities to him. In 1971, there was only a handful of schools within the new federation and no universities. It was therefore essential to quickly build a world-class primary and higher education system that was free and compulsory for girls and boys. To encourage parents to send their children to school, students received a salary in exchange for their attendance. Today, more than 93% of the population has attained a level of primary and secondary education and women represent more than 70% of university graduates. 

At the request of Sheikh Zayed, in 1969 you also organized an artistic event in Geneva…

Sheikh Zayed regularly visited Switzerland, which he loved very much. We were talking at the Intercontinental Hotel in Al Ain when he asked me to organize a concert in Geneva. We travelled to Switzerland with a group of Emirati musicians.

They performed on the stage of the University of Geneva, which has a very pertinent Arab focus. When we walked along Lake Geneva surrounded by the green forest, one of the musicians who had come to Europe for the first time said to me: “Now I know what paradise looks like. » 

 Sheikh Zayed's first state visit to France in 1975 was the first step in the great friendship between France and the United Arab Emirates.…

Sheikh Zayed absolutely wanted to maintain a privileged relationship with France. France was Sheikh Zayed's first choice. For him France represented the vibrant and independent heart of Europe. France embodied the pride of Europe. Hence his first state visit after the creation of the United Arab Emirates was to France where President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and his Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac gave us a marvellous welcome. The purpose of this visit was to establish a strategic partnership with a country that he already considered a natural ally who wanted to play an active role in guaranteeing stability in the Middle East. In 1976, I returned to France with the late Sheikh Khalifa, who died in May of that year. We had signed partnerships to set up a French high school in Abu Dhabi and French Alliances that I had the privilege of directing for over four decades. Together, we created many points of attachment for French Alliances in the United Arab Emirates. For Sheikh Zayed, trade-oriented ties and security were not enough. He wanted a cultural link with France. He had grasped the opportunity of promoting the French language in an English-speaking region. And the United Arab Emirates had begun to seduce French expatriates… 

The foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates is respected and recognized by diplomats around the world...

In 2017, you were appointed Minister of State in charge of cultural diplomacy. It is the role of your life in fact…

When we organized the concert in Geneva, we were already immersed in cultural diplomacy. We only consolidated and developed our objectives and ambitions in 2017. 

We worked closely with our diplomats abroad to raise awareness. The cultural influence of the United Arab Emirates had always been a priority for Sheikh Zayed and for me. It is impossible to envisage friendship without respect, exchange and sharing of cultures. 

Finally, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a cultural beacon of the capital of the Arab Emirates United, and the realization of Sheikh Zayed's original vision….

Indeed, and it seems incredible to see it realised today, nearly fifty-five years after Sheikh Zayed envisaged it. Moreover, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Middle East, was Sheikh Zayed’s dream from some time previous. During from a visit to France in the 1950s, the Total Group made sure he visited several museums including the Louvre. He said to them that day: "One day, we will have our Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. “At that time, there was nothing in Abu Dhabi, not even oil. Drilling companies had been trying to start up but without success. This vision and this dream were passed down to his successors. The ambition of the Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi is about building bridges between different cultures and contributing to the adventure of humanity in universal terms. 

Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi responds to a similar vision… 

Building bridges between the Francophonie and the Arab speaking world in the field of education is effectively a response to the same ambition. In 1976, we inaugurated the first university in the United Emirates at Al Ain. Today, the United Arab Emirates is home to more than 120 universities and institutes of higher education whose roots can be traced back around the world. The diversity of our education system reflects the international fabric and multicultural background of the country, our cultural openness, and our tolerance. 

During the first discussions, the opposition was very strong in France for the Louvre as for the Sorbonne…

To say that it took some convincing is an understatement. We invited all of those involved in the process over to the Emirates. On their return to France, they were all convinced of the feasibility of these projects and especially of their necessity. All of them came to champion the dream. 

There are some champions greater than others - like Jack Lang... Jack Lang indeed put pen to paper in Le Monde newspaper to say how the Louvre 

Abu Dhabi was such a great idea. This position was decisive when many decision-makers in the cultural world doubted an opportunity to open the Louvre in the desert. 

Jack Lang says you gave him the idea for this article in Le Monde. He even attributes you as driving force behind the founding of the Louvre Abu Dhabi…

Jack Lang really likes me! He is very kind to me, but you have to place the paternity of the Louvre Abu Dhabi at the respective summit of our two States. Our Presidents have been leaders and driving forces behind these wonderful projects. Of course, I played a role just like other personalities. No more. No less. 

You have a lot of affection and admiration for Jack Lang…. 

Along with André Malraux, Jack Lang is the greatest Minister of Culture in the History of the French Republic. And he belongs to a closed circle of great men of culture on a world scale. He possesses truly unique scholarship and culture. He’s a very sharp connoisseur of the Arab world but also of Italy for example. He’s a thinker, a writer, passionate about music, opera, art. He is the initiator of the Fete de la Music that is still going, everywhere around the world, not only in France. His achievements, such as the construction of the Arab World Institute and the Opéra Bastille, deserve respect. And he contributed to the personal relations between the French President François Mitterrand for whom he was a Minister, and Sheikh Zayed. 

François Mitterrand and Sheikh Zayed were men of great culture... 

Indeed, we can say that a shared passion for art brought them together. The link between two states is never questioned, but the personal relationship between two presidents is an unfathomable entity. This was noticeably true in the way that the Sheikh Zayed enjoyed a close friendship with Jacques Chirac, Francois Mitterrand’s predecessor. Over time, their relationship even became very amicable. I remember a trip to Egypt, to Alexandria, where Sheikh Zayed, Francis Mitterrand, King Juan Carlos of Spain and President Sadat talked about the possibility of rebuilding the library at Alexandria, the most famous and extensive from antiquity… 

Will the Saadiyat Island projects elevate Abu Dhabi to the rank of a world cultural capital?

This is the vision of DCT (Department of Culture and Tourism) Abu Dhabi and its leaders, in the wake of President HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak and Executive Director Rita Aoun-Abdo, who imagined a district dedicated to culture, education and heritage. Saadiyat must succeed in amalgamating museums, universities like New York University Abu Dhabi, libraries, and lecture hall presentations. And become the referent for cultural life in the United Arab Emirates. 

The opening of the Guggenheim Museum DCT in Saadiyat, in 2025, promises to be grand… 

Alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the future Sheikh Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim is bound to attract lovers of contemporary art from right across the planet. Moreover, it will be the largest Guggenheim Museum, with a surface area of almost 30,000 m2.

It will be a real masterpiece designed by the architect Franck Ghery. So, the exterior beauty of the museum is as important as the interior. It's a primary expression of our heritage. The success of the Louvre Abu Dhabi owes much to the talent of its architect, Jean Nouvel. 

Can Abu Dhabi as a destination situate itself on the tourism map alongside Dubai?

This is really the ambition of DCT Abu Dhabi! But there is no rivalry or competition between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There never will be. The two destinations are complementary. They support each other. Tourists visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi with equal pleasure. 

Can you a measure the impact of the World Expo Dubai yet? 

The World Expo was the largest event ever held in the Middle East. In the midst of the Covid crisis, we managed to welcome 24 million visitors. Many observers thought that was not possible. We did it! We are very satisfied with the international impact. Another source of pride is that there will be a life after the Exhibition. The Exhibition venue will become the Expo City Dubai district with cultural centres and conference centres. 

How do you imagine the development and position of the Emirates in twenty years? 

The United Arab Emirates was born in precarious circumstances fifty years ago, their existence was threatened by national and regional challenges. Nevertheless, the human quest for progress emerged victorious. Today, the United Arab Emirates is a modern, prosperous, and ambitious nation, capable of ensuring security and stability in the region. The fiftieth anniversary of the United Arab Emirates has given us given the opportunity to reflect on priorities to ensure our growth and prosperity for the next fifty years. It is certain that the progress relating to building our nation has already generated intellectual and cultural capital needed for an economic diversification from dependence on oil income. The next fifty years will be as exciting, grand, and ambitious as our first fifty. We will continue to develop a society based on knowledge. Digitization, artificial intelligence, and renewable energies will be at the centre of our future challenges. The size of a country does not presume its intellectual weight. The United Arab Emirates will play a central role in an overall project for humanity. The United Arab Emirates’ horizons has always extended beyond its borders to promote international openness, cooperation, and charity. This vision of the world advocates above all peaceful coexistence, both within the various multicultural communities rooted in its territories, between countries and the peoples of the world. 

The United Arab Emirates convey an Islam of Enlightenment… 

This is not Enlightenment Islam; this is real Islam. The United Arab Emirates are rooted in the true heritage of Islam and prioritizes the dignity of human life. The national strategies of the United Arab Emirates echo the search for tolerance, coexistence, empathy, respect for other religions and compassion. They strongly and fundamentally express the humanist values that mirror the Islamic teachings. Its leadership and governance are dedicated to ensuring that each of its residents have equal access to resources and opportune circumstances necessary for a healthy, safe, and meaningful life. How can we be happy, how can we live in well-being, how can we consider ourselves as human beings if we are devoid of tolerance and empathy? 

This strong and universal message was also that of Sheikh Zayed… 

Completely. These words were essential for him. One is born into a religion without having the choice. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the action of men. Sheikh Zayed said 

often: "When a man does good, when he does not harm others, he is a religious man. “ 

These questions are indeed central to my life. Jerusalem is the holy city par excellence for all three monotheistic religions, the city of tolerance. My cousin Wajeeh Nusseibeh holds the keys to the Holy Sepulcher which houses the site of the crucifixion and the alleged tomb of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem. A Muslim family has the honour of being responsible for the concierge of the divine! It is a huge source of pride. 

What would you like us to remember from your journey? 

I tried to do my part in an increasingly difficult life with more and more conflicts around us. I managed to bring up debates on the issues of humanism, tolerance and peace which are dear to me, and which were dear to the Sheikh Zayed. 

Bringing to life the intellectual heritage of Sheikh Zayed is the fight of your life... At the twilight of my life, I encourage my children, the new generation to take up the torch and continue this path. It’s their mission now.