UAE | Heritage and Culture

UAE students encouraged to rediscover their culture

As part of its ongoing road show, the National Treasure campaign (NTc) visited the Abu Dhabi campus of Zayed University to encourage students to rediscover the elements of their cultural identity.

  • By, Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 17:32 May 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: As part of its ongoing road show, the National Treasure campaign (NTc) visited the Abu Dhabi campus of Zayed University to encourage students to rediscover the elements of their cultural identity.

The NTc, organised by Watani Programme, was launched as part of the UAE's 36th National Day Celebration and continues through the Dubai Shopping Festival 2008.

Watani Programme was launched under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote the UAE's national identity and practices of good citizenship within the UAE's diverse and multicultural society.

The programme organises and implements various educational, entertainment, and media activities that are directed to the youth, women and children. The activities and campaigns organized by Watani are carried out by a number of volunteers and public interest advocates in the UAE.

Various students participated in uploading images and clippings related to the UAE culture on Watani's interactive portal www.watani.tv.

The campaign that represents an attempt to create an electronic reservoir of UAE culture and traditions online was introduced to the students at the Zayed University on Sunday and will continue until the May 29.

Students from universities around the UAE are invited to capture video, audio clips or still images related to the various aspects of the UAE traditions and history and upload them on watani.tv portal to be shared with interested people around the world.

The uploaded material will also serve as research material for students and professors who are interested in the history of the UAE. For years to come the portal is expected to host the images and sounds of fathers and grandfathers sharing their experiences and stories in the UAE.

“Preserving our traditions is one way of urging the young generation to protect their cultural identity and take a closer look at our past that we are proud of," said Ahmed Al Mansoori, General Coordinator of Watani Programme.

"Each person in the society is responsible for preserving our culture, especially university students, because they are the most valuable treasures for the coming generation and the only link between the past and the future,'' he added.

This is the sixth stop of the road show. The last day for students of participating universities to upload images and clippings on watani.tv is the June 30, which is when winners will be selected and awarded.

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