Dubai About 50,000 Emiratis were set to pledge their commitment toward preserving their heritage yesterday as part of the ‘Heritage Fingerprint' initiative announced by Dubai Municipality on International Heritage Day.
The signature campaign had already started through social media and the civic body was also distributing pamphlets to people across various sectors. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, also launched the campaign's Facebook page.
"It is an initiative to spread the message of tradition and…its importance in order to encourage people to feel pride in their heritage, the real wealth given by our ancestors" said Rashad Mohammad Bukhash, who heads the Architectural Heritage Department.
"We would like to bring forth our values, wisdoms, costumes, traditions afresh to the younger generation. We pledge to keep certain things alive in our daily life to regain our national identity" he added.
He said the department aimed to gather 50,000 signatures for this initiative.
The pledge involves five things — avoiding using non-Arabic words while speaking Arabic, wearing national dress, using elements of traditional architecture in houses, visiting historic sites and museums in the UAE and participating in national celebrations and traditional events.
Awareness
"Preserving the heritage is not only about conserving the traditional items and buildings. We need to have awareness and feeling to carry our traditions with us. The Heritage Fingerprint will contribute toward spreading that awareness and generating this feeling in the hearts of all Emiratis," said Shaikha Al Abbar, head of the Development Heritage Section.
As part of the Heritage Week celebrations, the municipality put up traditional stalls showcasing the rich Emirati culture. A cultural programme was presented yesterday morning and stalls of traditional food, henna art and heritage items were on show in the Dubai Municipality premises in Deira.
An exhibition by artist Hussain Kibtein depicting the lives of the rulers of the emirates was also organised. The Architectural Heritage Department at Dubai Municipality has made a detailed survey of the decorative elements and launched a book which contains 2,000 elements of design.
"The codes will help know the exact details of where that particular element was used in a building, in which room or which house it came from; we now have about 2,000 elements," said Bukhash.
