UAE celebrates National Day in style

Our Correspondent

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE held an official 49th National Day celebrations at Al Jubail Island in Abu Dhabi. The Rulers of the Emirates, the Crown Princes, and Deputy Rulers attended the function. Also present were a number of Sheikhs, ministers, high-ranking officials and representatives of the frontline heroes confronting the COVID-19.

People in the country and abroad tuned in from the safety of their homes to watch one of the most spectacular and moving performances that has been held in the UAE. Owing to COVID-19 precautions, residents were asked not to gather to watch the firework displays at Reem Island, Al Wathba and Abu Dhabi Corniche at night but to watch them from their homes to ensure public safety.

The visual and audio extravaganza at Al Jubail Island played the themes of hope and optimism. The entire production was centred around a 15-metre tall rotating cubed sculpture — which played the storyteller of the show — illuminated by digital lighting, surrounded by pyrotechnic and drone effects, and giving the appearance of floating on sea.

Highlights of the programme included touching tributes to the nation’s Founding Fathers and frontline workers who have risked their lives to keep the nation safe during the pandemic. Recordings of people singing the UAE national anthem were incorporated into the production. National anthem entries were submitted by the public as part of “Eishy Bilady” campaign launched on November 23.

The creative design was led by an Emirati team and art director Es Devlin, who has been involved in spectacular large-scale productions that fuse music, language and light. The revolving cube sculpture is a recurring feature in Es Devlin’s work, and she has explored the form in a variety of contexts, locations and scales.

Titled Seeds of the Union, it showed the growth of the UAE from a seed in December 2, 1971 and reaching full bloom 49 years later. This special sculpture, illuminated against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi skyline, was the equivalent of a revolving five-storey building, rotated to reveal four engraved designs on its faces – a seed, a shoot, a flower, and multiple seeds being propagated.

The first scene titled The Dream of the Desert, had the cube taking the appearance of the desert sands. Accompanied by a voiceover, a young boy appeared carrying a smaller version of the sculpture, which he planted as a seed to signify the origins of the union.

In the second scene titled The Seeds of the Union, a cast in traditional attire circled the sculpture as names of the seven emirates appeared, accompanied by projected images of the Founding Fathers who formed the union in 1971.

In scene three, The National Anthem, a collective ‘virtual choir’ of people singing the anthem was projected onto the sculpture to form the flag of the UAE. The fourth scene, titled Our Leadership, focused on the leadership of the Emirates.

Scene five was one of the most moving of the event. Called Our Frontline Heroes, it featured multi-lingual testimonials from seven key workers who have put themselves on the front line in service of the country during the pandemic. The heroes include Amal Badr Al Bussaidi, Head of the Technical Support Unit at the UAE Red Crescent in Abu Dhabi; Iris Ena Diel, a nurse at the Sharjah Expo Field Hospital; Esraa Al Agha, a medical student and volunteer at Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah; Habib Saifulmalook, an ambulance driver in Sharjah; Captain Mayed Ali Alameiry, Deputy Harbour Master at the Port of Fujairah and a member of the Executive Committee of the Local Crisis and Emergency Management Team; Dr. Sawsan Salih, a General Practitioner in Ras Al Khaimah; and First Sergeant Mohammed Al Salloom who leads the medical services section of the Support Services Department of Ras Al Khaimah Police.

Scene six, Everything is Possible, showcased four Emiratis whose childhood dreams became reality. It showcased the ambitions of Hazza Al Mansouri, the first UAE astronaut; Sarah Al-Amiri, leader of the UAE’s Hope probe mission to Mars; Dr Fatima Al Kaabi, pioneer of stem cell treatment for COVID-19 patients; and Chaica Al Qassimi, a martial arts athlete with Down’s syndrome who carried the torch for the UAE at the Special Olympics World Games 2019.

Scene seven, entitled A Legacy of Unity, focused on the theme of unity across religious borders by touching upon the Father of the Nation the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s advocacy for cultural diversity and religious tolerance and visually showcasing the establishment of the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

As the breath-taking show came to a close, The Finale examined the milestones and achievements of the past, and then took a look into the future particularly the UAE’s role as a global leader in medical research, environmental sustainability and renewable energy.