KICKER: Global ambassadors
Incubating future talent as conduits of GCC culture
From cultural influencers like Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Mozart, Gandhi, Paolo Coelho, Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs to collective societies such as the Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Western societies; I believe people have the ability to act as powerful conduits of everything that shapes their respective societies.
I would add to Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla’s view that more than culture, art, media and political influence, the Gulf states should earnestly endeavour to focus more on the development and subsequently empowerment of potential local and Arab talent taking advantage of the wealth of available resources as well as the huge strides that the GCC has achieved in various sectors. Gulf countries should advocate a strategy of incubating local and Arab talent and empower them to lead in their respective areas of choice. By so doing, we are nurturing a generation of regional and global ambassadors. This is nothing new to large corporations who have adopted this strategy subtly yet effectively through specialised ‘development programs’, ‘student exchange’ programs as well as through what is known as ‘cultural diplomacy’ initiatives.
The UAE in particular is in a strong position now more than ever to lead this approach. The country has embarked on a pursuit to become one of the world’s most competitive and innovative economies, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai announced last year that the country has reversed the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon, which has for long ailed the Arab world can only further reinforce both the opportunity and responsibility the country has to grow regional ambassadors to the world.
From Mr Abdul Muttalib Al Hashemi
People and workforce development specialist based in Dubai
KICKER: Cultural pride
There is no weakness in the GCC identity!
I think that whether a culture is thriving or not, it will always be in the best interest of the nation to push cultural awareness and cultural relevance. In observing the UAE culture, its expatriates and its nationals, I don’t believe that there is any weakness in the GCC cultural identity. It is strong and it is all around us. Expatriates will find it in the restaurants and shops around them, the religious holidays, the cultural opportunities to take part in such as desert tours, fishing, dhow tours and abra rides. The list is long and what I mentioned barely scratches the surface of the countless opportunities to understand and take part in the culture. As UAE nationals, we are all deeply proud of our country and this can be seen through the pride we take in wearing our national dress, the music, the food, our national day and the love that we all share for our Rulers. All these things are all very outwardly expressed cultural pride. I don’t believe there is any weakness in the GCC culture, but I do believe that the continual push of its presence is important.
In the globalising world we live in, it will always be important to push regional culture consistently. We can’t rely on a culture to simply last with the outside pressure from other nations. I believe GCC culture is alive and well, but it would be unwise in the global pressure for dominance and power to cease from establishing cultural relevance.
From Mr Salah Al Marzouqi
Business student based in Brisbane, Australia
KICKER: Joint responsibility
Arabs must push their presence further in the global arena!
The GCC and the region as a whole needs to push its presence further in the global arena as with Western dominance, we are struggling to keep up our culture and values. Having been raised in Europe, I feel less connected with my culture and traditions as a result from growing up with Western dominance. “It’s okay, they were raised in the West,” is a line that my parents and other family member would use to excuse my siblings and my behaviour, and it appals me every single time that it is brought up.
There is a great Arab community outside the Middle East but what are we doing to preserve and carry on our culture and values to further generations and to the global arena? I have been to several Arab countries, including those in the GCC and whenever I have done so, I have really felt connected to my roots just by eating traditional food or seeing people walk around wearing traditional clothing.
I do agree that there is definitely a rise in Western culture all around the world, and just like Abdulkhaleq Abdulla points out in his article ‘Time to promote Gulf brands’ – it is due to globalisation and the fact that GCC nationals have become minorities in their own country. However, I see this as a determining push factor that should make people of the region want to work harder to push their presence further, and that too at a time where we are being targeted and misjudged for violence that is taking place in the name of our religion.
From Mr Mohannad Al Zubaidi
Student based in Gothenburg, Sweden
KICKER: Push factor
We should not adapt to the Western culture
While I do agree with Abdulkhaleq Abdulla that the foremost reason for the decline in our culture and values is the rise of globalisation, however, we cannot solely rely on GCC brands alone. There are certain products that need to be imported such as electronics and cars because we do not have the capabilities to manufacture that in the region in addition to it being very costly. On another note, we definitely need to encourage young businessmen and women as well as entrepreneurs to open restaurants and franchises that support and highlight our local culture and values.
It is time that we focus on reflecting our culture and identity in the brands that we come up with, such as abaya or kandoora designers that promote the national dress, and we should expand on local food chains that sell traditional cuisine. Instead of looking at the fact that we have become minorities in our own countries as an obstacle, we need to use this as a strength and push our presence further in the Middle East and the other continents alike. The main issue is that we view this issue as a weakness and tend to adapt to others but this shouldn’t be the case. If there is an influx of expatriates, it is them that should adapt to the host country, rather than us adapting to them. It is time that we stop imitating the West and it is time for those who visit the GCC to start adapting to the Arabic culture, including respecting our dress code, learning our greeting habits and maybe even our language. Take Max of Arabia as an example, a British-American social media celebrity who has become a sensation on Instagram for his fluency in Arabic. He was not forced to implement this in his daily life but decided to do so out of choice, and as a result, Arabs all around the world admire him.
From Mr Ahmad Al Suwaidi
Business human resource management graduate based in Dubai
KICKER: Diversity
We need to focus on branding ...
Having studied in Australia for four years and having faced the misconceptions that people have about not only the GCC, but the Middle East, I agree that we should promote our culture and identity and push our presence further. We need to take our weakness for a strength and work on branding ourselves, and with that in mind, not only branding major cities, but countries as a whole. The main issue that we encounter is that the West tends to recognise our countries based on main cities, such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the case of UAE, and the same goes for other GCC countries. We need to work on rebranding ourselves and our products rather than just being tourist attractions. If we manage to do so, we will attract business people from all around the world for reasons other than leisure. The GCC is a region with a lot of culture and values that the rest of the world can learn from, and that does not stop with being oil rich. There are a lot of cities that are unique and have contributed to the countries reputation, unfortunately they tend to be outshone. In addition, just like we adapt to the West when travelling abroad, in turn, those visiting the GCC need to adapt to our culture and identity. It is a joint responsibility that should be taken seriously by citizens of the world to preserve and shine a light on all cultures as at the end of the day, each and every culture is unique and adds to diversity.
From Mr Hamad Al Marzouqi
Acquisition specialist based in Dubai
Facebook comments:
Is the GCC ready to tackle Daesh? It is important for the GCC to build a strong military force similar to Nato and by doing so, they will have made a great achievement. It is important to take these things into consideration...
From Mr M. Kheshgi
Dubai
The GCC is the gateway to the Middle East...
From Mr Ladi Famofo
Lagos, Nigeria
— Compiled by Donia Jenabzadeh/Community Web Editor
