Emirati Women’s Day: From car racing to film direction, meet 16 UAE women blazing a trail in their field

Amna Al Qubaisi: The UAE race car driver is keeping the country’s flag flying with her need for speed on the racing circuit. A former karting champion, Amna and her younger sister Hamda have been making an impression on the local racing scene. Amna competed in her second season of the Italian F4 Championship, where she claimed 10 top-20 finishes with her best being a 12th place at Adria in 2018. Her list of accolades so far includes becoming the first woman to win both the UAE RMC Champion karting title in 2016 and the GCC Drivers Academy Competition in 2017.

Zahra Lari: Zahra Lari was only 12 when she took up figure skating as a hobby she enjoyed practicing once a week. Little did she know she would become the first Emirati figure skater to compete internationally, and the first woman to take part in an international figure skating competition wearing a headscarf. Now at 24, the UAE figure skater vows to come back stronger for the 2022 Winter Olympics after failing to qualify for 2018.

Alia Al Neyadi: As one of the first generation of Emirati ballerinas, Al Neyadi has followed in the footsteps of her mother — the acclaimed ballet master Svetlana Al Neyadi, who is credited with building the first ballet course in the UAE. The experience has been rewarding, but not always easy. Al Neyadi has received criticism for her ballet outfits, but the accolades far outweigh the negativity. She has fast become a role model to young girls in the region and her dedication to her craft is seeing her take to the stage across the world.

Rafeea Al Hajsi: Setting the runways ablaze in the UAE is Emirati model Rafeea Al Hajsi, whose career has taken her from the runways of Arab Fashion Week to the spotlight of Paris Fashion Week. Al Hajsi has dominated the regional modelling industry on her own terms. Remaining true to the modest culture of her upbringing, the model has brands and designers clamouring to adjust their designs to suit her requirements. That in itself is a huge accomplishment. Speaking with Gulf News earlier, Al Hajsi spoke of pursuing a career that was “unconventional” for Emirati women. “I knew when I first opted for a career in modelling, being an Arab woman and Emirati, I would be judged by many. I won’t lie; I was scared people were judging me every step of the way. It is easy when you are following in somebody else’s footsteps — when you are the second or the third. But when you are a first in whatever career you choose, every step is held accountable.”

Aida Al Busaidy: With more than 18 years of experience in the media and communications field, Al Busaidy started her career in public relations before working with semi-government entities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Al Busaidy is currently the Director of Consumer to Consumer Marketing Management and Campaigns of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai. She is also a columnist with several publications and co-hosted a local TV show ‘Her Say’ from 2008-2009 on Dubai TV.

Fatima Al Shirawi: The Emirati founder and entrepreneur of The Gracious F Colour Consulting Company has a passion for travel, education and giving back to the community. Through her wellness company, Al Shirawi has a vision to help both individuals and organisations achieve their dreams and objectives, through the reduction of stress and anxiety, an increase in commercial awareness and a more enhanced feeling of emotional and physical well-being.

Omaira Farooq Al Olama: Al Olama is the founder of ALF Administration, a company that specialises in developing and guiding the future of Emirati entrepreneurs, as well as helping widowed and divorced women get back into the workforce through life and career coaching. She has more than 10 years of experience working as a Senior Office Services Executive at the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco and as head of Marketing and Events Management Nakheel Dubai. She is also the founder of Unfiltered DXB, a new platform dedicated to celebrating diversity, inclusivity and honesty.

Butheina Kazim: As the co-founder of Dubai’s beloved independent theatre, Cinema Akil, Butheina Kazim is often looked upon as the champion for budding filmmakers in the country and beyond. “Independent cinema is everything from repertory cinema, like Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Funny Face’, to a more intellectual conversations and essay films. There’s a huge range of what falls under alternative or art house cinema,” Kazim told Gulf News earlier. Deeply committed to building a film culture in the UAE that goes beyond the multiplex system, Cinema Akil’s vast portfolio is an accurate representation of the UAE’s cultural diversity.

Sahar Al Awadhi: Hardworking and passionate, Sahar Al Awadhi is the first and one of the only female Emirati pastry chefs in the region. Wanting to work in the restaurant business, she quit her job in social media to follow her passion for pastry as an experimental journey in 2014. Landing a job at Dubai’s home-grown restaurant La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie in 2014, in the role of Pastry Commis, Al Awadhi worked alongside one of Dubai’s most talented chefs, Izu Ani, who recognised her talents and sent her to Paris to perfect the art of bread making from his own mentor at Le Saint Georges. She returned to La Serre for another year before joining the team at Burj Al Arab in 2016 as a Junior Sous Chef and worked her way up to pastry chef. There has been no looking back since.

Amal Murad: The parkour and freerunning coach is an inspiration to young women across the UAE. In an interview with Gulf News in 2016, she spoke about choosing an unconventional career. “When I first started people questioned why I wanted to do it — not just the society but my family as well — because they didn’t know parkour was a sport. But I was known as the monkey in the family anyway, and when they saw what I was doing, they related it to a disciplined sport like gymnastics. However, parkour felt more free-spirited to me,” she said. “I don’t blame anyone for what they think, because that’s how we were raised to think. This has to change through our action.” Thankfully, what doesn’t break Murad seems to make her stronger.

Nayla Al Khaja: Often referred to as the UAE’s first Emirati female film director-writer, Nayla Al Khaja first became a household name in the UAE with her short film ‘Malal’ (Bored), which began life as an experiment and went on to win the Best Script Award in the Gulf Film Festival in 2010 and shortly after became the first Emirati-Indian film shot in Kerala. Al Khaja forayed into her first feature-length film, the horror flick ‘The Shadow’ in 2019. Al Khaja is an outspoken proponent for women in cinema, and proudly revealed that 40 per cent of ‘The Shadow’s’ crew was made up of women.

Dubai Abulhoul: Dubai Abulhoul Alfalasi is the author of ‘Galagolia: The Hidden Divination’, the first Emirati fantasy novel in English. As a regular name at the Emirates International Literature Festival since she was a young kid, the now 25-year-old writer was named Young Arab of the Year in 2016 at the first Young Arab Awards for her work in youth advocacy, literature and journalism. Abulhoul is also a columnist for several UAE newspapers, writing on issues related to youth, education, culture and literature. She is currently writing a series of children’s books on Emirati folklore and djinn, with four published so far.

Maryam Alzaabi: Born in 1990, Maryam Alzaabi is an artist and illustrator who has a passion for design and art and everything in between. Having studied architecture and a background in art, her work celebrates the feminist spirit. To celebrate Emirati Women’s Day 2021, Alzaabi has teamed up with Deliveroo to celebrate this year’s theme of ‘Women: Ambitions & Inspiration for the Next 50 Years’ through a limited edition tote bag, which will be given away with every order placed from Deliveroo Editions Kitchens on August 28. “I have grown up in a tight-knit community and have always been surrounded by inspiring women in my family. A lot has changed in the last few years, Emirati women have really pushed the boundaries of what women in the UAE are capable of achieving. These women are the reason I am independent and future-forward today and I hope that my depiction of this year’s theme is a message to girls everywhere in the UAE that they have all the tools they need to contribute to society,” she said in a statement.

Yasmin Baker: Yasmin Baker picked up aerial arts while studying in Washington, DC. Now an aerial silks instructor based in Dubai, Baker has become a Nike brand ambassador and has helped pioneer the UAE’s growing aerial arts scene. Interestingly, to become the aerialist she is, she had to get comfortable with her acrophobia — an extreme or irrational fear of heights — in order to get here.

Salama Mohamed: The hugely popular Emirati influencer turned entrepreneur Salama Mohamed is often seen in the videos produced by Emirati content creator and her husband, Khalid Al Ameri. Making people laugh with their videos on married life and everything in between, Mohamed recently turned entrepreneur with her skincare line Peacefull, which was inspired by being “blessed” with the skin condition vitiligo, which causes skin to lose pigmentation in patches. “It’s very important for us to proudly say that we are an Emirati brand, made in Korea and catered for everyone here,” she recently told Gulf News.

Captain Mariam Hassan Salem Al Mansouri: With her head in the skies, Captain Mariam Hassan Salem Al Mansouri became a global name after becoming the first Emirati female pilot to serve in the UAE Air Force. Captain Mariam joined the Armed Forces right after high school. Despite knowing at the time that women were not allowed to become pilots in the UAE Air Force, she continued to work in the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces until doors opened to women. In an interview with Gulf News, she said what attracted her to being a pilot in the Air Force was the fact that she could be a part of the nation’s defence forces and fighter for her country.