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Culture Ministry Announces Cultural, Knowledge Programs for UAE Reading Month 2025

The programs will feature diverse array of cultural and knowledge-based activities. WAM
The programs will feature diverse array of cultural and knowledge-based activities. WAM
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Culture Ministry Announces Cultural, Knowledge Programs for UAE Reading Month 2025

The programs will feature diverse array of cultural and knowledge-based activities. WAM
The programs will feature diverse array of cultural and knowledge-based activities. WAM

The Ministry of Culture announced that key entities across the UAE will organize a diverse range of cultural and knowledge programs during the UAE Reading Month in March 2025.

The initiative aligns with the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to enhance reading habits and individuals' skills, the Emirates News Agecny (WAM) reported.

The initiative reflects the UAE’s long-term vision and the wise leadership's commitment to fostering a culture rooted in science and knowledge, facilitating the necessary infrastructure and environment to create an advanced knowledge-based society, WAM said Wednesday.

The announcement was made during a press conference held at Al Safa Art and Design Library in Dubai, in the presence of Mubarak Al Nakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Shatha Al Mulla, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of National Identity and Arts Sector in the Ministry of Culture, Dr. Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, Chief Executive Officer of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, Dr. Amal Al Qahtani, Director of School Development and Support Department at the Ministry of Education, Khoula Al Mujaini, General Coordinator of Sharjah Book Authority, Asmaa Al Mutawat, Founder and President of Salon Al-Multaqa, and Shaikha Al-Mutairi, Secretary General of the Emirates Writers Union.

The programs will feature diverse array of cultural and knowledge-based activities organized by various ministries, local entities, and public interest associations. Their primary objective is to cultivate reading habits by emphasizing the role of reading in driving sustainable development and enhancing cultural awareness.

“The UAE Reading Month initiative reflects the nation’s long-standing vision to create a highly educated, well-informed society and drive sustainable development. It also signifies the country’s commitment to enhancing cultural awareness among its people,” said Mubarak Al Nakhi.

“The activities organized as part of Reading Month initiative highlight the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to position reading as a pivotal instrument for culture and knowledge development. It further aligns with the ambitious ‘UAE Centennial 2071’ plan, which aims to elevate the UAE’s position as a global hub for innovation and culture by leveraging reading as a key enabler of this vision.”

He added that “reading Month is a significant intellectual and cultural milestone, and serves as a far-reaching strategic initiative aimed at raising awareness of the role of reading in personal growth and community development.”

Reading Month 2025 will feature a diverse range of activities and events hosted at the Ministry’s Cultural and Creative Centers across the Emirates. These events will include the launch of multiple initiatives by local cultural entities and institutions aimed at fostering a reading culture among all members of society.

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Ancient Bronze Griffin Head Is Returned to Greece from New York in Major Repatriation Move

The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
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Ancient Bronze Griffin Head Is Returned to Greece from New York in Major Repatriation Move

The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned an ancient bronze griffin head stolen nearly a century ago to a museum in southern Greece, the latest repatriation marking a broader shift in the museum world to return significant artifacts.

The 7th century B.C. artifact was on display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, the city that in ancient times was the birthplace of the games that later inspired the modern Olympic Games.

Greece’s culture minister, Lina Mendoni, attended a ceremony Friday at the museum, calling the return a significant moment.

“After decades of absence, the griffin returns from the Metropolitan Museum in New York to the place it belongs,” she said, praising the joint effort by the Culture Ministry and the Met to trace the artifact’s past. The ceremony coincided with a visit to Greece by members of the International Olympic Committee to elect a new president. Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to lead the global body.

The griffin, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, symbolized strength and divine protection in ancient Greece. The bronze head will now be displayed alongside a similar griffin head already at the Olympia museum.

The Met has recently increased its efforts to review the history of its holdings, hiring additional experts to track the origins of objects in its collection.

“We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with the Greek government and look forward to continued engagement and cultural exchange,” the Met's museum director Max Hollein said in a statement.

Institutions across the world in recent years have begun to acknowledge the importance of returning significant cultural items while still promoting global access to heritage. As part of this new framework, Greece has agreed to loan the griffin head back to the Met for future exhibitions, Mendoni said.

Athens is hoping the new, more open approach will boost its decades-long campaign for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, taken from the Acropolis in Athens in the 19th century and now in the British Museum. The government — citing their cultural importance and illegal removal — says it is making slow progress in negotiations with the London museum.