Launched at the end of last year, Watheq is an initiative by the National Archives, backed by Abu Dhabi Media, the parent company of The National. The hope is that these sturdy boxes will be used by families to compile and store their most precious archival documents, safeguarding the memories of the nation. But what about the memories of The National? What would we place in a Watheq box to represent Abu Dhabi's newest English language newspaper to future generations? The answer is below.
THE HISTORY PROJECT
One of the only copies we have left of our first History Project, called The First Day, in which we set out to tell the narrative of what happened on the day the UAE was born, the product of almost a year's research. The 2010 magazine, which featured never-seen photos and accounts from people who were here on December 2, 1971, was so popular that we decided to make it an annual project, focusing on a different aspect of UAE history, with a weekly spin-off photo feature called Time Frame every week in our Saturday Review section. Our first project's contents can be found online at multimedia.thenational.ae/historyproject.
REPORTER’S HELMET
It wasn't long after The National launched that our correspondents abroad saw their first share of gunfire. Reporter Hamida Ghafour and photographer Andrew Parsons were in Beirut when fighting broke out in May of 2008, and without any protective gear that reporters carry into conflict situations, they searched high and low for some, resulting in this "vintage" helmet and some bulletproof vests they secured through a fixer who vastly overcharged them.
INVITATION TO THE NATIONAL’S LAUNCH PARTY
While staff of The National sweated over the launch edition, the evening of April 16, 2008, served as an introduction for the paper to the great and the good. This invitation is to the launch party at the Emirates Palace, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, as the guest of honour. The invitation is in the form of a paper cutout, echoing the theme of the paper's first advertising campaign.
FEZ
The National still has 36 staffers who were here on Day 1, but one of our most memorable and widely loved, who arrived here in the first year, is with us no longer. Rob Evans, one of our assistant photo editors, died one November night on Yas Island after a surprise Prince concert during Abu Dhabi's second F1 in 2010. He was 37. This newsroom fez is one of the many things that still remind us of him. Brought back by staff photographer Ryan Carter from Fes, Morocco, in 2009 for our photo editor Brian Kerrigan, it was adopted by Rob, who would wear it regularly while working at his desk. Ever the showman, he still makes us smile.
YA ZEIN MENU
A takeaway menu from our neighbourhood pastry shop, circa 2008, when Ya Zein was the unofficial caterer of the newsroom, along with Tandoori Corner and Asian Garden. Our tastes evolved in step with the number of lunch options now in Abu Dhabi - Jones the Grocer, Sushi Art, Bloomsbury’s - but Ya Zein remains our sentimental, nearby and still insanely cheap favourite.
CYCLE TO WORK REARVIEW MIRROR HANGER
The National's #cycletoworkuae initiative is the brainchild of the paper's third and current editor-in-chief Mohammed Al Otaiba. Under the umbrella of our #healthyliving initiative, the goal is for everyone in the country to cycle from their home to their office and back on the second Tuesday of each year. In the leadup to the inaugural event, door hangers were printed featuring the relevant information and safety messaging. These flyers were distributed around the country and hung on the rearview mirrors of 1,000 taxis.
FIRST EDITION, SIGNED BY STAFF
Those of us who lived through the early hours of April 17, 2008 recall that it was not the easiest birth. Teething troubles with the new print machinery delayed the first run by several hours, but eventually, after the button was ceremonially pressed by managing editor Laura Koot, the first copies rolled off the press. Staff arriving for work that morning picked up the UAE’s newest newspaper with a mixture of pride and relief. If some of the signatures seem a little wobbly, it is understandable.
A Watheq box to hold artefacts from The National
