Radical Hope, Where Are You?

ultural heritage sites in several countries in the Arab Region have been weaponised to erase peoples’ histories and to re/construct narratives. Politicians have proposed profit-driven urban regeneration and neoliberal projects that have led to the destruction of peoples’ heritage as in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Destruction, often legitimised to ‘improve’ and ‘modernise’ cities, has led to the mass displacement of people and the loss of architectural identity. In the context of war, the destruction of cultural heritage has been used as a war tactic to perform power and communicate messages of dominance to local, regional and global audiences. This has been the case in countries such as Palestine, Libya, Iraq and Sudan where cultural heritage has become part of punishing communities and erasing their presence. In both ‘peace’ and war, and when the lines between them blur, we need to protect cultural heritage to celebrate the diversity of communities, and build a future that is free, just and inclusive to all. But how do we restore hope at the time of mass destruction?

The Arab Region is witnessing the construction of a wide range of buildings dedicated to cultural heritage, art, and culture. Across several countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia, museums, libraries, and art and cultural centers are being built on a monumental scale in an attempt to give cities a new narrative and identity. In the process of making and remaking this identity, “star” architects, often not from the Arab Region, have been chosen to imagine and design these new megaprojects. In Abu Dhabi, UAE, at least three such star architect–designed museums have been built or are in various stages of construction. They include a Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry twelve times the size of its New York flagship (set to open in 2026); a Louvre designed by Jean Nouvel; and the Zayed National Museum by Foster & Partners. In these projects and others, power and wealth are demonstrated through monumental architecture and the global profile of their star architects. But why not draw on the talents of local architects to design monuments of cultural and national importance?

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