Dubai Culture and Dubai Customs Host ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ Exhibition

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has hosted a ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ exhibition through its CSR Team in cooperation with Dubai Customs. The exhibition took place on the side-lines of the Carpet and Art Oasis Exhibition and was held in the Dubai World Trade Centre from 10th to 15th January.

During the event, Dubai Culture organised a number of sessions, workshops and activities, as well as a Zayed Library Corner where visitors could discover a wide variety of books highlighting the life of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

A virtual reality corner was also set up to share the Founding Father’s journey of giving and his achievements across the seven emirates. To lend the exhibition a creative atmosphere, Dubai Culture invited prominent artists to participate at a ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ themed live painting session in a dedicated corner. 

Khawla Alyassi, Head of Dubai Culture’s CSR team, commented: “We at Dubai Culture strive to support government initiatives such as the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ and consolidate their values across all segments of society. This event reflects our efforts to highlight the achievements of our founder and his generous, life-long career in supporting humanity. We were delighted to welcome the public at the exhibition, where they took advantage of a series of cultural performances and events, as well as the wonderful opportunity to enhance their knowledge in an atmosphere that was suitable for all members of the family.”

The event featured daily sessions, beginning with ‘The Hub of Youth’ presented by Dr. Jamal Al Bah and ‘Women Empowerment in Zayed's Life’ by UAE writer Kultham Al Falasi. Among many other sessions, the third day of the exhibition saw Fahd Al Ma'amari host a panel discussion about the leadership and Sheikh Zayed's presence in the Al Ain region, focusing on the period of his rule of the region from the 1940s until the 1960s.

In addition, the event featured five workshops. The first continued throughout the exhibition and was presented by Ahmed Osman, who focused on gypsum work and various gypsum models. Another workshop was held by Hissa Saeed Juma from the Dubai Heritage Development Centers and taught participants how to make national bags. Mazna Sweidan from the Nad Al Hamar Center for Heritage Development oversaw a ‘Wazna Painting’ workshop, while the fourth workshop focused on international standards for organising parties and coordinating flowers.

The Dubai Public Library also supported the exhibition through the Reading and Knowledge Corner and hosted cultural programmes and literacy workshops that showcased Sheikh Zayed's achievements and work. The event featured workshops about the late Sheikh Zayed life, including ‘UAE & its leaders’ workshop, storytelling session for children about Sheikh Zayed life, and another session titled ‘Two Hero Leaders’. The event also included a library with a variety of books that highlighted many aspects of his journey to allow visitors to gain a better understanding of his career, which made humanity a lasting hallmark of the UAE.  

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage with a variety of initiatives that take place throughout the year. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.