In an era governed by image, and in which content creation is growing as one of the most prominent tools of communication and influence, content makers play a pivotal role in conveying Dubai’s image to the world. Many Emirati content makers have chosen to draw inspiration for their content from the local heritage, history, antiquities, and cultural and social heritage that the emirate abounds, to provide visual and narrative narratives that reflect the richness and diversity of its cultural identity. Content makers rely on highlighting the balance that Dubai has succeeded in achieving between preserving its heritage. Historical and keeping pace with the process of development and modernity, with the aim of presenting an authentic and renewed image of the emirate, and enhancing its cultural presence on the global scene.
Emirati heritage
By returning to the heritage and drawing from it, the content creator, Yousef Balhamar, presents the image of Dubai to the world. He told “Emirates Today” about the content he presents: “By creating the content, I present the Emirati heritage, with all the ancient heritage, houses and museums it carries, and I chose this aspect because it constitutes our national identity, and in the content industry we serve our country, and our identity is the image that is exported abroad.” He pointed out that he constantly seeks to present the content in an attractive manner to the recipient, while emphasizing the need to emulate the current era and digital media. The new, in order to highlight the content that is presented, as well as with the aim of reaching the largest number of audiences, and he saw that there are many challenges facing the content maker in the heritage field, the most prominent of which is the formulation of texts and the accuracy of information, and presenting true narratives with the correct dates, which in turn gives the narrative important and profound details. Balhamar considered that the content of its variety is able to spread easily as long as it presents Dubai, because this city is able to promote everything that bears its name, considering that old Dubai carries a lot of heritage, while new Dubai is characterized by its richness in topics, and has built Its civilization is part of its legacy and it builds the future, and 2071 is coming and will prove Dubai’s ability to create the future.
The language of today’s generation
For her part, the director, Maitha Abdullah Al Rumaithi, is working to present the image of Dubai to the world through photography, specifically photographing the aesthetic scenes in Dubai at sunset. She pointed out that she began presenting content in the field of local heritage, because she was filled with this interest from her father, an actor and heritage researcher, as he accompanied her to heritage events, with the aim of forming her awareness of the Emirates in a distinctive way. She stressed that after presenting content in heritage, she moved on to presenting Dubai in the field of nature, explaining that after joining the program “Cultural Content Makers” decided to present the heritage aspect again, as it chose to focus on crafts and heritage in a new way that suits the language of today’s generation, and indicated that it began using artificial intelligence, and these technologies have added a lot of aesthetics to the field of videos, indicating that it will work to focus on the image of Dubai through its ancient crafts and heritage, and Al Rumaithi saw that the main challenge in the field of creating heritage content is to find and present distinctive ideas that attract the new generation, because their awareness is formed with quick videos, so that ideas that suit their interests are presented. And the image he is looking for.
Talented Emirati
On the other hand, Amal Al Muhairi chose to present Dubai’s narrative to the world through the cultural field, and shed light on talented Emirati people. She pointed out that she participated in the Dubai Content Creators Programme, believing that content is not just a means of communication, but rather content has become a tool for preserving identity, transmitting culture, and creating impact. She pointed out that the program was an opportunity for her to develop digital narrative skills, and produce content that reflects the diversity of Emirati culture, and highlights Dubai’s inspiring stories to the world in a contemporary creative style, indicating that cultural content is compatible with her passion for heritage, arts, and cultural industries. And creativity, and represents a qualitative platform that enables it to develop creative tools and expand the effects of cultural content. Al Muhairi confirmed that she aspires through the experience to provide authentic content that tells the stories of the Emirates and Dubai in an innovative way. She considers that the best method through which one can address the young generation is by keeping up with the tools they use, with the importance of having an awareness of reaching all segments of society and not just young people, with the aim of making people see Dubai differently. She stressed that Dubai is inspiring in the creative field, and it has many facets that can be presented to the public. Especially in the cultural field, it contains creative people, artists, and many stories, innovation, the future, and continuous development.
Heritage and antiquities
As for the content creator, Zainab Ali Salmeen, she began her journey in this field by presenting videos about Dubai’s antiquities and linking them to the arts, and she seeks to present this aspect in a distinctive way to the public, especially since knowledge about the antiquities in Dubai is not available to everyone, considering that this lack of information is what pushed her into the world of content creation. Salmeen pointed out that she works in the Department of Antiquities in Dubai, explaining that Dubai includes more than 17 archaeological sites, and people do not know all of them, and some do not. He distinguishes between heritage and antiquities, explaining that there are heritage neighborhoods, including the historical Shindagha neighborhood and the Al Fahidi area, while the archaeological sites are different, including Saruq Al Hadid, Jumeirah, and Al Qusais. She confirmed that the archaeological sites include many archaeological collectibles, some of which have been displayed in museums. Salmeen said that in the field of creating content related to antiquities, she faces challenges, including obtaining archaeological information based on research, indicating that she is preparing for a new start in presenting antiquities content, and linking it to the arts and archaeological inscriptions, With the aim of presenting what is related to research in this field in the best possible way.
Promote content creation
Dubai is witnessing a great boom in the content industry, as it is considered the most prominent destination for global content makers, and has turned into a global center for creators. The emirate supports this sector through government initiatives, including the “Dubai Content Creators” program organized by the Dubai Press Club and the New Media Academy, in addition to providing many job opportunities and digital marketing agencies. The cultural version of the Dubai Content Creators Program was recently launched, with the aim of training and qualifying talents in digital narration and video production.
