A tale of two cities, in the one metropolis of Dubai

DUBAI, UAE (eTN) -- It’s 3 a.m. in Jules. The place is packed, smoky and very, very noisy. The band is ending its third set. Between songs the two male vocalists banter with one another and tease the crowd. One is dressed in gaudy yellow, the other plays on his campness, much to the delight of the audience. Seemingly their talk is hilarious – for those who speak Tagalog.
Dubai is awash with foreign workers. One hotel employs people of 64 nationalities. In the streets are Somalis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Arabs of every variety, Europeans, and yes, if you know where to look, Emiratis too.With a population of 1.3 million, only 20 percent are locals – and it is almost unheard of for them to visit Jules.Jules is strictly for foreign workers. The Filipino bar attracts plenty of foreigners, but it is simply not the done thing for citizens of Dubai to be seen there.Head out of the city toward the desert and you’ll find thousands of Emiratis having fun. The Global Village is a mix of fun fair and bazaar, with pavilions representing dozens of countries (soon to be expanded to more than 100). The men are largely dressed in traditional white flowing robes, while virtually all the women cover their heads, with many choosing to cover their faces.Jules and the Global Village. Them and us. For both groups the them and us formula seems to work well. True, the Emiratis live in palatial homes while the laborers live in cramped conditions. But, as one Pakistani from Peshawar put it, “back at home there’s no work.”“Everything I earn, I send home,” a Filipino says over a pint of Heineken at Jules. “The truth is I don’t have enough for myself, but I want my family to be happy.”Some of the Arabs working in Dubai, in managerial positions, admit their Emirati cousins don’t know how to relax as much as they should. At the Global Village many of the visitors seem stiff, perhaps unwilling to let themselves go.There’s no such problem at Jules. It is so relaxed nobody seems to have a care in the world. Given that the 80 percent of foreigners living in Dubai are as much responsible for its phenomenal success as its entrepreneurial leaders, one leaves Jules thinking they have every right to let their hair down, because tomorrow morning they will be back to the grind.
By David Harris for The Media Line News Agency
Source (Link)