Cows on parade to portray UAE-Swiss ties

Ten life-size fibre glass Swiss cows painted with UAE national themes by school students here will be unveiled by the Swiss ambassador tomorrow at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.
They will be on show at the foundation next Friday and Saturday before being taken to Dubai to be displayed at the Swiss economic symposium and exhibition on November 14 to 16.
The idea of painting models of this symbol of Switzerland was inspired by the city of Zurich in summer 1998 when fibreglass cows were decorated by artists and displayed in the streets of the city.
The "Swiss cows on parade" slowly caught the imagination of the media, and was repeated in the U.S. and Brazil.
In Abu Dhabi, with the coordination of the Cultural Foundation, nine cows were sent to schools in the city where students decorated them using a specially provided cow kit with Swiss and UAE national themes. One cow has been painted by the Cultural Foundation.
The schools involved are Al Rawafid, Al Rabeea, Abu Dhabi Grammar School, Al Murroj Scientific, Ashbal Al Quds, Al Dhafra School, Lycee Massignon French School, the German School and the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Pakistani School.