Introduction
Guided by the words of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, The President of the UAE: "He who has no identity, does not exist in the present and has no place in the future", the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development is striving to make the development of the national identity, a prime target for its present and future strategy and plans. This is due to the national identity being an issue of belonging and allegiance that concerns the citizens of the United Arab Emirates, and the residents living on its territory alike.
The national identity is a system of social and moral values associated with the lifestyle of the people in the past, present and future. This system is founded on invoking the essence of the people’s existence and analyzes the factors behind its survival, in order to preserve its existence in the face of the challenges of dispersion, extinction, disintegration and demise. This can be achieved through strengthening the fundamental concepts of belonging, citizenship, work and productive initiatives.
Developing the national identity is an issue of national, religious, past, future, collective and individual commitment to the cultural values, customs, traditions, language, dialect, doctrine and faith of the nation. Promoting and enshrining these elements is a collective national duty incumbent upon the community, individuals, government and institutions.
The development of the national identity can only be done through community supported mechanisms and tools, influencing people and their behaviour so that it may create a society capable of facing challenges, and enjoying the most important and necessary foundations of social, behavioural and national tools. These tools consist of religion, education, family education, leadership, media and arts.
Furthermore, the development of the national identity and the consolidation of its components, may not be undertaken without making the national identity one of the components of the main strategy of the government of the United Arab Emirates, and promoting the sense of allegiance and belonging to the country, by preserving the cultural heritage, activating the cultural movement in the Emirates and publishing and highlighting Emirati creativity, locally, regionally and globally.
In this sense, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development is striving to consolidate and promote several initiatives encompassing the six pillars that support the nurturing of the national identity. Those initiatives aim at the consolidation of the sense of belonging to the homeland and enshrining the sense of social responsibility at all levels. They also aim at preserving the Emirati identity and national heritage, promoting and protecting the Arabic language, disseminating the Emirati culture within the community, striving to strengthen the interdependence and solidarity of its members around a set of concepts related to the national identity, in the curricula of national education at school and university levels and educating children and guiding young people.
Cultural index
From the strategic objectives of the ministry emerged the idea of establishing a cultural index, to analyze and measure the country’s cultural status, through a well rehearsed advanced methodology and implementation mechanism that cover all the Emirates, and take into account the diversity and specificity of each Emirate. It is through this objective, that measurement, survey mechanisms and task forces were established. The results were included in this article, to show how the index works.
Undoubtedly, the existence of an Emirati cultural index to measure the UAE’s cultural and knowledge performance is part of a plan of action aimed at establishing the state of affairs and coming up with realistic statistics, that allow the application of solutions and remedies and proposing initiatives and projects that can promote and raise the level of the UAE’s community’s cultural development. This is what drove the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development to develop the cultural index, which is the first of its kind in this domain in all Arab countries. This gives the UAE the lead in applying the index, laying the foundations and drawing the methodologies that allow other countries to apply it in the future.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
National identity and culture
National identity is a set of ideas based on the multifaceted concept of the nation and the ways in which individuals and groups identify themselves with those ideas. National identity contains fixed components, consisting of the environment, common history and religion.
Culture itself has multiple definitions. According to some definitions, it consists of two types:
▫ Popular culture: This includes food, entertainment, traditional dress, etc.
▫ Refined culture: literature, music and the arts.
Culture can be conceived as a set of beliefs, values and attitudes shared by society. Beliefs are by definition, standards by which members of the community identify:
▫ What is desirable and what is not.
▫ What is good and bad.
▫ What is beautiful and ugly.
▫ What is acceptable and not acceptable.
It should be however noted, that culture generates tremendous momentum through successive generations, and always remains subject to change. People's attitudes and codes of conduct are more likely to change than their values and beliefs. Culture is acquired as it transcends from generation to generation through family, religious traditions, educational and social means.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
Cultural elements and values
With society's perception of the elements of culture and its importance in the lives of its members, through positively promoting those elements, access to communities able to develop and keep pace with the wheel of development and progress, became possible,.
The elements of culture can be divided into four major categories:
1. Community’s concept of the world
How does each community conceive the following values? It is through this conceptualization that we can determine whether a certain community is pro- or anti-development.
2. The values and virtues
The culture that focuses on certain values, virtues and social behaviour in favour of:
▫ The provisions of the law
▫ Solid ethical foundations
▫ Respect of others
3. Economic Behaviour
The economic behaviour practiced by individuals in a given community, can determine the ability of that community to grow and evolve in the future, and whether this behaviour contributes to its economic decline and obstructs its development or not.
4. Social Behaviour
Social behaviour plays an important and major role in supporting community development and the progress of countries through behavioural practices and internal relationships that contribute to supporting development. Social behaviour is one of four key elements that constitute culture.
Cultural values
Pro-development communities enjoy moral, ethical and knowledge values that enable them to progress and develop through the promotion of these values among their members. Communities whose members practice and entertain anti-development values, suffer a decline in their development, remain back warded and unable to attain prosperity.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
Cultural Development Tools
Cultural development needs several tools to support it in the community, and influence people and their behaviour so that they can shape up a society capable of facing challenges, and equipped with the most important and necessary community, behavioural and national foundations. These tools strengthen the national identity if used and directed according to well researched favourable methods. Otherwise, these tools can become tools of destruction, if their use is not directed or aimed at development and upgrading culture and behaviour.
The most important tools of cultural development that affect culture are:
▫ Religion
Religion is the major force influencing values, behaviour and attitudes.
▫ Education
Education is a major factor in shaping culture, and supersedes children’s education in terms of impact.
▫ Leadership
Leadership is to produce and manage any targeted change in society and maintaining it by acting as an exemplary role model. It also involves the development of strategies, policies and regulations, and the establishment of cultural institutions, in addition to influencing people to get them to respond.
▫ Children’s education
Children’s education may be the most effective mechanism for the transfer of culture, since children (especially at a young age) learn religion, language, values and perspective and the basic components of their personalities, from their parents.
▫ Media
Media, especially television and satellite TV have a great impact on the behaviour of people. This influence may be direct as in the case of oriented media, or indirect, as in the case of entertainment programs.
▫ Arts
Arts are one of the concrete elements of culture. Although it might be the most obvious, but it is definitely not the only or the most influential one.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
Best Practices
In this page, we review the most important initiatives that led to global cultural change. We have selected the top fourty three cultural change initiatives, reviewed their objectives, description, tools used and targeted values, while we excluded four of them.
In addition to those fourty three initiatives, we focused on the cultural transformation projects in Spain, Ireland, Quebec, South Korea, Japan and Turkey, due to the importance of these countries, their economic impact and effectiveness of their cultural activities. In spite of its failure, Ghana’s transformation project emphasizes the need to integrate culture in any similar exercise.
Much emphasis was placed on the experience of Singapore, which was presented separately from the other countries, due to its importance and sensitivity.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
The strategy of national identity
This strategy aims at defining the ideal citizen. This required many studies, research, meetings, visits and surveys that allowed the ministry to reach the best definition of the ideal citizen. One could argue that this definition determines the general aspects and major lines every community looks forward to enshrine in its children, and use them to measure the extent of communication between the members of the community and the ideal situation that contributes to its proper development and progress.
The definition of the ideal citizen can be summarized as follows:
▫ The ideal citizen is loyal to his country and proud of it.
▫ Reasonably religious.
▫ Well educated.
▫ Is fluent in Arabic.
▫ Believes that he belongs to the Arab world.
▫ Is open and interactive with the world.
▫ Entertains positive thinking and a sense of initiative.
▫ Supports the empowerment of women.
▫ Is a hard worker and admits gradual career development.
▫ Very productive.
▫ Keeps his appointments.
▫ Enjoys leadership skills in all aspects of life.
▫ Is committed to strict ethics.
▫ Is aware of his country’s history.
▫ Is endowed with a strategic vision.
▫ Honest.
▫ loves his family.
▫ Willing to help others.
▫ hospitable and friendly.
The particularities of national culture
Every nation has its own characteristics. These characteristics help define the ideal citizen and adjust this definition accurately; especially regarding the topics related to the UAE’s community and those vital to it, such as patriotism, allegiance and leadership.
▫ Allegiance and pride in the country and its leadership.
▫ Reasonable religiousness.
▫ Mastering the Arabic language.
▫ Quality education.
▫ Leadership skills in all fields.
▫ Honesty and good ethics.
▫ Strategic perspective.
▫ The individual must be hospitable, friendly, ready to help others and open to other cultures.
▫ Supports the empowerment of women.
▫ Feels that he belongs to the Arab world.
▫ Cherishes values.
▫ Entertains positive thinking and a sense of initiative.
▫ Entertains positive thinking and a sense of initiative.
▫ Is a hard and very productive worker.
▫ Admits progressive career development.
▫ Keeps his appointments.
▫ Maintains orientation in the family.
▫ Is proud of his nation’s traditional dress, flag, anthem, its heritage and achievements.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
The year of national identity
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, President of the United Arab Emirates, called for making 2008 a year of national identity. The reach of His Highness’s call were in line with the strategic vision adopted by the federal government, which aimed at the promotion and protection of national identity and launching initiatives that would establish the identity and its values and develop the community accordingly.
President's Speech (Excerpts from the speech)
In the speech he gave on the occasion of the thirty-sixth anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, called for dedicating the new federal year 2008 as the year of national identity. His Highness the President emphasized that "He, who has no identity, does not exist in the present and has no place in the future". Our national identity is the comprehensive expression of our existence, values, customs, positive traditions and national language. Our community needs national programs to strengthen our identity and enshrine our sense of belonging and citizenship, and stimulate the spirit of labour and constructive initiative, in harmony with the spirit of the times while maintaining our distinctive characteristics. Achievements made over the life of the State, came thanks to the wise leadership of the country and its proven ability to express the goals and aspirations of the people in the present and the future. The confluence of these two wills is the guarantee for a triumphant breakthrough towards achieving the first national goal of this year 2008, which is to maintain and strengthen the national identity and the fight the challenges threatening it.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
The development plan
National identity is based on six pillars through which it is possible to realize the main objective of protecting and preserving that identity and strengthening and consolidating its presence in the community.
The foundations of national identity
1. To maintain the national identity and promoting and disseminating it among the members of the community by all available means, by building a strategy for national identity based on the authority of the state. This exercise aims at uniting people within the state in order to maintain its long term political stability and viability.
2. To provide general cultural rules for the development of children’s education at the pre-schooling stage and reforming education in a way that guarantees that children grow up imbibed with a sense of belonging to the homeland and responsibility towards it.
3. The aim of this priority is to promote education in pre-school, primary, secondary and higher education in the UAE’s community, in order to become consistent with the standards of leading countries, in terms of quality and quantity.
4. To promote social responsibility and the individual sense of the importance of working for the homeland and of belonging to it. This priority also aims at the consolidation of all forms of social responsibility, such as the interdependence of the community, the mutual learning of its members from each others, and promoting respect and mutual understanding between them, in order to strengthen their connection not only with government agencies but also with other local communities.
5. To promote a culture of daring in entrepreneurship and engaging in new businesses among young people, while urging them to enter the world of business without hesitation. This is due to the important role played by new business ventures in maintaining a dynamic economic environment, and contributing to economic growth. From this perspective, promoting business ventures that involve risks in the UAE plays a vital role in the development of the country's economy.
6. To promote and further enhance the empowerment and participation of women in the UAE’s community’s economic, social and cultural activities, by giving them access to leadership positions, promoting their presence by all means, increasing their participation in the workforce, empowering them to overcome the obstacles and barriers UAE women are facing and helping mothers to assume their responsibility in raising children.
7. To transform the UAE community into a knowledge society through the provision of all means of self-education and technology acquirement and supporting the idea of continuous learning and disseminating it among all members of the community as they consider telecommunications and informatics businesses as a practical privilege and a competitive advantage. This is due to the change in the economic entities seeking trained labour in this field. Thus, the knowledge society is a broad subject dealing with the technology that supports various community parties.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
Initiatives
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development is seeking to consolidate and strengthen the pillars of national identity by supporting and developing fourty nine initiative distributed among the six pillars that support the strengthening of the national identity, which seeks to consolidate the sense of belonging to the homeland, and the spirit of social responsibility among all community members.
Pillars and initiatives
The first pillar - maintaining, promoting and disseminating the national identity
Initiatives
1. Protection of the UAE’s heritage through the establishment of a museum dedicated to the national culture and heritage.
2. Strengthening the Arabic language through the launch of a national campaign to that end.
3. Encouraging the community’s participation in the identification of its culture by organizing conferences dealing with cultural issues.
4. Promoting art and folklore through the organization of cultural festivals.
5. Encouraging young people to discuss their ideas and exchange their views on different topics by organizing a conference for young people.
6. Strengthening the sense of community and community exchange from childhood through a well organized program of summer camps.
7. Finding safe havens for meetings of the members of the community through strengthening the cultural centers and increasing their numbers.
8. Launching a program presenting national leaders as a model for the community to follow.
9. Developing an institutional framework for social interaction through the establishment of cultural offices.
10. Strengthening the UAE's cultural presence overseas through the promotion and training of cultural attachés.
11. Encouraging interaction between the culture of the UAE and foreign cultures and developing programs for cultural exchange.
12. Dissemination of culture among expatriates residing in the UAE and overseas through all media organs.
The second pillar - providing general cultural norms to promote better children education practices and upgrading teaching methods
Initiatives
13. Providing a general cultural context educating children and training families on how to deal with them.
14. Providing models for children education methods through a program and website dedicated to the issues of children education.
15. Providing an institutional framework for parents with children, through the establishment of a Parents Association dedicated to children education.
16. Launching a campaign to eradicate illiteracy.
17. Developing pre-school, primary and secondary education.
18. Developing university education.
19. Establishing secondary schools specializing in community sciences and life skills.
20. Establishing secondary schools specializing in fine arts.
21. Developing instructions on how to nurture talents, with the cooperation and coordination of the Ministry of Education.
The third pillar - promoting social responsibility
Initiatives
22. Disseminating the values of development across all religious programs, sermons and lectures in agreement with the Imams.
23. Discussing the cultural and social challenges with the Imams, in order to deal with them in those dedicated lectures.
24. Including social responsibility in university curricula and teaching them to students.
25. Instilling a sense of national responsibility in children through the development of national education curriculum in schools.
26. Raising the level of community awareness and understanding of the importance of knowing the smaller virtues and adhering to them through the launch of a suitable campaign.
27. Granting businessmen incentives to encourage them to support charitable work in education, culture and the arts.
28. Encouraging young people to interact with the community through the promotion of the importance of voluntary work and practicing it.
29. Encouraging employee volunteering and participation to supporting the community by consecrating some of their time, energy, skill and leadership.
The fourth pillar - promoting a culture of daring and pioneering in business
Initiatives
30. Raising awareness of the importance of daring and pioneering in business by introducing extra-class training activities at schools, in school curriculums.
31. Promoting pioneering community leadership models through the launch of a television program showing business men and women talking about their success stories.
32. Guiding Emiratis career development by establishing a career counseling centre.
33. Setting up a foundation to promote productivity and national projects.
The fifth pillar - encouraging and promoting women's participation in the economic, social and cultural activities in the UAE’s community
Initiatives
34. Establishing an institutional framework for furthering the empowerment of women by working on the passage of legislation promoting their community participation.
35. Defining UAE community models of pioneering women entrepreneurs through the launch of television programs that interview successful women, organizing dedicated conferences to discuss and support women's activities and launching an interactive website dedicated to women and others around them.
36. Promoting a greater equality between the sexes at the workplace through the passage of legislation to facilitate the work of women.
37. Enabling the role of women through religious teachings and recalling the role of women in Islam.
38. Building an institutional framework for women to support each other through the establishment of centres dedicated to research and women's issues in universities.
39. Ensuring the participation of women to sports events.
40. Increasing women's participation in the practice of art.
The sixth pillar – transforming the UAE’s community into a knowledge society
Initiatives
41. Instilling a willingness to pursue knowledge in every citizen regardless of age, by encouraging self and continuous learning.
42. Providing the community with high quality institutions and knowledge by strengthening the system of public libraries.
43. Disseminating knowledge through the launch of a national documentary TV channel and supplying it with documentaries.
44. Promoting children’s passion to read through the launch of a national campaign to encourage reading and providing children with books.
45. Ensuring diversity in the available information and books by promoting translation.
46. Strengthening the status of scientific research by providing the appropriate framework and cultural norms for the reform of research and the development of its outputs.
47. Introduction rules to teach the basics of communication and information technologies at schools and through training courses.
48. Communicating and disseminating information through the launch of dedicated television programs.
49. Ensuring the empowerment of Emiratis to communicate via the high speed Internet through the launch of a campaign in conjunction with service providers to encourage the use of ADSL and wireless connections.
More information is available upon request from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development
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