Abu Dhabi: Gathering once a month, a community group in the capital is bringing people together to enjoy the simple activity of conversing with each other on a wide range of subjects which enables them to move away from daily chitchat on vacation plans and dining options.
Two friends, Lyne Esmail and Farah Bushnaq, started the aptly named endeavour called End Small Talk in 2015. Their intention is to create a space wherein people can feel safe to talk to like-minded individuals on subjects that are not normally discussed, and more importantly, create a platform for people to communicate directly with one another without using the medium of technology. “The purpose of the group is to [help] people come together and have deep, meaningful conversations because we felt that there was a lack of such conversations taking place [today],” explained Lyne Esmail. “There are several topics that we pick for each event like culture, society, human psychology etc. The only two topics that we do not include for discussion are politics and religion,” she added.
Esmail said the conversations are specifically intended to make its members think about questions and ideas that they may not have come across before.
“It’s more about the abstract, about questioning the why of things rather than the what, so we pick topics and questions that people may have never asked themselves or heard before,” she said.
“This type of platform also allows us to return to our innate nature of talking with each other. These days, most people communicate through mobile devices and social media, and in a way [they] are almost losing their sense of connection with each other,” she added.
The group has proven to be popular with dozens of people, including new members, joining the monthly meetups, according to Bushnaq.
“Our meetups have around 30 to 90 people participating, with a mix of nationalities including Emiratis,” she said. “We also have a wide range of age groups attending the get-togethers — from teenagers to people in their 60s — and everyone talks to each other no matter their age or nationality.
The feedback, said Bushnaq, has been positive. “[People] are so happy that they get to meet new people and to have these conversations which they otherwise would not have had. It’s particularly great to see the interaction between Emiratis and expatriates in a way that doesn’t have to do with business or work,” she added.
“Sometimes we get emails from people who say they were shy or reluctant to talk, but over time, have opened up to [sharing thoughts]. We have had many examples of people who came to one event and did not talk, but subsequently underwent a transformation and now they are coming back to all events and are very engaged,” she added.
Esmail said that the group is a positive way of building community relations and creating new friendships among its members.
“A lot of people have come to our events and made friends, so it is a great way for people to meet and get to know one another,” she said.
Esmail added, “Our events are also making people feel more open-minded, according to a survey we conducted, with 90 per cent of them saying that the conversations they had with others made them more accepting and open to different beliefs — and that really is the foundation for tolerance and a peaceful society.”
Where to join
People can sign up and find out about all future End Small Talk events through their official Facebook page
