Emirati women are teaching the right balance between tradition and modernity. In fact, the future is an extension of history, and this is the most important lesson that we can learn while being in the UAE.
I still remember watching the Emirati children's animated TV show Freej, and seeing the four old Emirati women, Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi, and Um Khammas, trying to catch up with modernity while at the same time retaining and protecting the traditional Emirati values of family, friendship, generosity, and hospitality. Against the background of this cartoon, one can catch a glimpse of modern Dubai that is growing and becoming a leading city in the world – but these four elderly women decide to keep on living in a secluded neighborhood, wearing traditional garments and cooking harees, one of the most popular traditional Emirati foods, to be shared with people during Ramadan. They do not reject modernity (on the contrary, they use mobile phones and Um Allawi has her own laptop and closely follows the stock market) but they understand the need to maintain the connection with tradition, since it is only by knowing where we come from that we can understand the present and prepare confidently for the future, and hence build a thriving society.
Emirati women know that in order to shape tomorrow, it is necessary to cultivate traditions that build a flourishing society and a sustainable community. In fact, sustainability is the precondition for development that meets the needs of the present generation without hampering the possibility for future generations to realize their own. This is only possible if we introduce in our life innovations that are not oblivious to tradition. After all, cultural heritage is the main facilitator of the economic, social, and environmental elements of sustainable development. Furthermore, the UAE has, since its foundation as a country, pushed for the empowerment of women, making women the main drivers of sustainable development in all sectors of society. This is because the generation and preservation of life are undeniably a woman's mission.
Emirati women: Museum of the Future communications director Fatma Al Mheiri; equestrienne Amna Banihashem; beauty entrepreneur Wdeema Almheiri; artist and curator Sarah Alagroobi; RollDXB cofounder Alia Al Banna.
Hence, the Emirati woman is at same time a keeper of tradition and an agent of change towards an equitable and sustainable society. It is she who is writing tomorrow on the sheets of yesterday, while translating the past so that it can be read by future generations.
*Anna Mahjar-Barducci is a MEMRI Senior Research Fellow.
The article was also published by Inc. Arabia, Msn.com, and Atalayar.com.
