Dubai: Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Co. is putting its considerable influence behind a new endeavor – create a UAE National identity based on the hit cartoon series ‘The Adventures of Mansour’. For this, Mubadala is partnering Bidaya Media for the new series that will be released next year.
The aim is to ‘encourage cultural awareness, preserve the national identity, strengthen the sense of belonging to the nation amongst Emiratis and support in nurturing young Emiratis' abilities’.
The series targets children aged 6-12 and is funded by Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.
“Mansour has been hugely successful with over two billon YouTube views,” said Nabil El Jisr, CEO Bidaya Media. “With our compelling stories and content, we are harnessing Emirati values and culture, and creating an awareness for these among the youth, as well as the new generation, by leveraging Mansour and its popularity amongst the Emirati community.”
The original cartoon was created to appeal to Arab children and encourage a healthy lifestyle, a cultural appreciation, and an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. The show has long since surpassed the original expectations of its creator, Rashed Alharmoodi.
Apart from the 2 billion views on YouTube, ‘The Adventures of Mansour’ has generated 3 million subscribers and 300 million watch hours, along with 25.2 million unique viewers in just the last 90 days.
For Mubdala, this is a new space it is venturing into, but a top official said it’s all part of a much bigger picture. “Mubadala is committed to supporting the future of the UAE national identity, and this begins with our children,” said Fatima Al Marzouqi, Portfolio Emiratization Director at the entity. “Our organization prioritizes partnerships with both the public and private sectors to encourage the growth and development of the younger generations.
“We are communicating this message through Mansour, and everything the cartoon stands for. We must remember Mansour is not created solely for the current generation, but to create an impact for decades to come.”
“The Mansour cartoon series is a celebration of both Emirati talent and youth, and its continued success is an exceptional accomplishment for the nation,” said Shamma Al Mazrui, Minster of State for Youth Affairs.
“This collaboration marks a new step in contemporary media and the production of meaningful, engaging content for children representative of Emirati values and morals. Our partnership with Bidaya Media targets all segments of society, spanning the entire youth age group. We believe that the future of future generation is a collective responsibility. We also aim to provide youth with opportunities to be creators of content instead of just consumers, allowing them to reflect our culture and values globally.”
The roadshow aims to ‘empower young people’ by providing them an opportunity in workshops run by Mansour producer Bidaya Media.
New cartoon series come with higher production values and air in 2023.
