Melting pot: Celebrating diversity

Dubai is smashing old societal measuring sticks such as the “melting pot'' – in which races and ideas are socially assimilated – by celebrating cultural differences, say observers.

Tolerance by the anchor culture, Emirati, is the key.
“I think what we're seeing here is more of a kaleidoscopic city, that is what people are calling for here,'' said UAE sociologist Dr Rima Sabban, an Emirati.

“The old mentality of a nation state, one hegemonic identity, is not what people in Dubai want.''

In fact, Dubai's 150 nationalities are for the most part flourishing in a fusion city, of sorts, that accepts others' cultures, colours and creeds as long as they in turn obey local customs and laws. “A kaleidoscope moves and changes colours but it moves in harmony,'' said Rima of the rapid economic and social transformation Dubai has undergone since 2000.

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Of an unofficial population of two million people, only roughly 10 per cent are Emiratis who have watched their city experience 8.5 per cent annual growth between 2000 and 2005.

Half of the population are those who came here in search of work from South Asia while only five per cent are from Europe. In Dubai alone, it's estimated there are more than one million Indian expatriates.

Dr Rima said that each culture is still keeping to itself on a social front and true mingling of all nationalities occurs only in the workplaces, at schools and to some degree, at entertainment venues.

Sticking together isn't about offending neighbours, she said, it's about finding strength within one's own cultural values and traditions which are often exported to Dubai and manifest themselves in national social or charity groups.

“People don't want to be like everybody else, they want to keep something of their own,'' she said.

Krishnanmurthy Kumar is convener of the Indian Community Welfare Committee, a non-profit social safety net that helps Indian blue-collar men, women, long-term medical patients and prisoners in Dubai.

“Communities still keep to themselves, it's not a melting pot here,'' said Kumar.

“They each have their own national festivals and are allowed to celebrate their own cultures.''

Kumar believes the reason why many nationalities do not mix socially with Arabs is because there is no need for them to learn the local language. To many, English is still the preferred language.

“Few people who move to Dubai take Arabic seriously because of this,'' he said. “In cities where Arabic is the main language, people must learn it and then become more involved in that city's culture, I think.''

No barrier

But there are others who feel Dubai encourages intermingling of different nationalities and cultures.
Lucille Ong, Chairwoman of the Philipino Business Council, has seen a lot of progress in her 27 years in Dubai and said recent laws allowing freehold ownership of property by expatriates is changing the social landscape of the city.

She estimated there are now about 350,000 Filipinos in Dubai. “Nationalities are starting to mix more because they are living together and invariably their children will also mix as they grow up,'' said Ong. “The schools are also melting pots, the children are together more than eight hours a day and it's easier this way for them to integrate. There's no cultural barrier when you're that age.''

The UAE nationals in Dubai are now sending their children to international schools to prepare them for what is increasingly becoming a globalised world that sees beyond colours and national boundaries, she said.
Dubai media consultant Chris Mullinger moved here 13 years ago from the UK and has only been to his home country once in the last six years – Dubai is now his residence, although he does own property in Spain.

Mullinger said Dubai is a good place to live because authorities let people live here as they pretty well like as long as they stay within the law.

While UK expats tend “to be very insular in Dubai'', Mullinger said expats from other more outgoing countries such as South Africa and Australia are reaching out to other cultures through sporting and cultural activities.

Co-existence

Cross-fertilisation is also happening at events such as concerts as shown at the recent Santana show in Dubai.
“The appeal of Santana goes across many nationalities and that tends to show in an event,'' he said.

UAE engineer and Arab poet Shehab Ganem said he is proud that Dubai is a place where “people can learn about other cultures and co-exist in harmony. The city is becoming a cosmopolitan place.''

Ganem said Dubai is not a melting pot because the “Arab culture is not dominant and is a minority. Other people come here to work for short periods and do not meet with the Arab culture.''

He said the fact that expats are not learning the Arabic language is the strongest “indication that the people are not adopting the culture''.

Dr Rima said that Emiratis in Dubai need to promote their own culture in a more “visible way to make up for an invisibility in numbers''.