Local daily highlights uniqueness of UAE society

The uniqueness of the UAE society has been highlighted by Dubai-based English daily "Gulf News". A feature written by Abbas Al Lawati and a Staff Reporter of the paper highlighted extensively on how the country was able to succeed in preserving its social and cultural uniqueness amid diversity.

"Can you name an Emirati dish? Have you ever been to an Emirati wedding? Do you know what Emirati folk songs and dances signify?", begins the lead of the feature titled "Preserving uniqueness amid diversity". The report reads: "These are questions commonly asked by UAE residents, but many complain that despite being curious about Emirati culture, they have never had the opportunity to learn about it because they do not know where to look."That is where the Watani, the national identity development programme, steps in. "Watani is a social development programme which was established on the 34th national day in 2005. "The programme works to instill national values in Emiratis and promote good citizenship among Emiratis and UAE residents "in a globalised world where distinctions between national identities are fading away." "The programme also works to familiarise expatriates and tourists with Emirati culture."Watani's emblem, the fingerprint, represents the contribution of the individual in shaping the UAE and its society, emphasizing the significance of the individual in the development of society.

"Many of the organisers and decision-makers at the programme have full-time jobs outside Watani."Mohammad Baharoon, Deputy General Coordinator at Watani, also has a full -time job. For him, the desire to volunteer for a national identity programme came from the need to preserve Emirati values, and inform expatriates about the culture of their host country."Baharoon said the need was clear to him when he asked a long-time Arab expatriate resident of the UAE whether he could name three Emirati dishes."He couldn't name even one, and he had been living here for 17 years," he said."For Baharoon, the incident was also evidence that the responsibility for lack of knowledge of the local culture lies not only with the expatriate population, but also with the Emirati population."Many people don't even meet many Emiratis when they come to the UAE. They all hear about Burj Al Arab and other buildings, but these are just structures. They need to meet Emirati people - and that is where we step in," said Baharoon. "Watani-sponsored folk dancers can often be seen in the UAE's malls and the Global Village. Another objective of Watani is to embrace the diversity of the UAE and the country's population make-up. "This can be reflected through the massive fingerprint map of the country that was created for the occasion of the 35th national day last December."The UAE map was split into many pieces and sent to various areas of the country, from villages and remote areas to the cities."The objective was to present pieces of the map as empty canvasses and have 600,000 residents of the UAE dot it with their fingerprints in the colours of the national flag."All the pieces were eventually brought together to create the giant map, displaying the diverse backgrounds that make-up the UAE. How the programme views the UAE's unique demographic make-up can perhaps also be demonstrated in a recent incident Baharoon speaks of."Baharoon attended a conference in Bahrain that dealt with globalisation in Arab countries and its consequences on demographics. All participants presented their working papers on globalisation, but what stood out about Watani's paper was its proposal of ways to deal with globalisation and its effects."The organisers even pointed out at the end of the conference that ours was the only paper that dealt with globalisation instead of just highlighting its problems," he said. "The way to deal with globalisation, he said, is through a two-fold approach - by trying to achieve a single unified UAE society, and to recognise its diversity in doing so. "What is required is the integration of all the cultures into one and the recognition that the map of the UAE is drawn from many fingerprints. No matter who we are we make-up one society," he said."Watani also has various programmes, including a women's programme aimed at empowering them in society and the workplace, a cultural programme aimed at increasing cultural awareness in UAE society, and various sports and religious programmes, including lectures and a Haj trip. Source