Expo 2020 Dubai marks UAE National Day with a continent-crossing journey

From the Middle Eastern oud to the beats of the Djembe drum,  the universal language of music provides a stirring soundtrack to Expo 2020 Dubai’s globetrotting celebration for the 48th UAE National Day in a new short film.

Stars from across the planet are captured performing the UAE national anthem, Ishy Balady, in their home countries. The two-minute video begins with the subtle strains of oud music in the UAE before criss-crossing the globe to bring together a diverse array of musicians including Chinese pianist and producer CORSAK, Indian slide guitarist Niki Mukhi, British trumpeter Paul Spong and Saudi musician multi-instrumentalist Hatoon Idrees, alongside individual artists from the Norwegian State Orchestra, Russia’s Minski Theatre and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. A choir of school children from Raffles World Academy provide the vocal accompaniment to the track.

Locations featured in the video include the Dubai desert, the Taj Mahal in India, the fjords of Norway, Rizal Park in Manila, as well as major world metropolises such as London and Shanghai.

Led by Oscar-shortlisted Emirati director Nahla Al Fahad, the compilation reflects the UAE’s collaborative spirit and inclusive, forward-thinking core values, while bringing to life Expo 2020’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and how the The World’s Greatest Show – the first World Expo in the region – will bring together 192 nations when it opens on 20 October 2020.

The video builds on the success of last year’s ‘Orchestra of the World’ video, Expo 2020’s celebration of the 47th UAE National Day, which connected musicians from 190 countries for a moving desert performance of the national anthem.