DUBAI // Hundreds of people flocked to Al Quoz industrial area’s art district to sample the tastes and sounds of Latino culture on Friday night.
The Artissima Gallery hosted an exhibition, Latinos in the UAE, which featured for the first time in the Middle East the works of award-winning British photographer Tariq Zaidi.
“There are over 50,000 Latinos residing in the UAE today, many working and holding influential positions in diverse fields such as science, diplomacy, oil, the arts and military,” said Dr Ximena Cordova, Cultural Development and Project Manager at All Quoz Project, which organised the Latin Art Fest.
Aurela Cuku, managing partner at Artissima Art Gallery, said there are 36 photographs of Latino people in the UAE. “The idea is to show what the Latino people do in this country. To show how they live, how they celebrate, their music, art and food,” she said.
Other artists exhibited their works of art and jewellery to a backdrop of a live drum show.
Laura, a visitor from Spain, said the event was an accurate portrayal of the culture.
“My friends and I came to the UAE for work and we were so happy to hear about this festival, which I think should have been more advertised. Nevertheless, it’s really great to see this here,” she said.
For 19-year-old friends Fatima and Alexandra, the evening was a great way to show those UAE residents unfamiliar with Latin culture what it is all about.
“I have never been to any of the Latin countries and I study international relations at the University of Sharjah,” said Egyptian Fatima. “This is a wonderful way to familiarise myself with the culture.”
Venezuelan Alexandra said that the event was a little taste of home.
“It’s nice for my culture to be recognised here in the UAE,” she said. “It brings back so many memories, with the many different kinds of food, music and art.”
Spaniard Montse Bassa, 27, was also pleased to see the Latino spirit arrive in the UAE, the country she moved to almost two years ago when her husband was offered a job.
For Mrs Bassa, an anthropologist, the festival was a good opportunity to display her hand-made accessories and connect with other residents in the country.
“We are currently living in Abu Dhabi but are moving to Dubai, and this is great to meet and connect with other people in and out of my community,” she said.
“My husband and I believe there are more opportunities in the UAE, because it had become a little difficult to find good-paying jobs in certain sectors in Spain. “There are better chances of continuity and promotion here.”
For Mariano Ortiz, 31, the UAE was also an opportunity for a better job. The Colombian is the project manager of Latinos EAU, which carries packaged goods from Colombia and other South American countries.
“I moved from Colombia to the UK around seven years ago and have now been living in the UAE for more than two years,” he said.
“I was told that the UAE was like the UK in the sense it was full of opportunities and a person can easily adapt to the country because everyone speaks English. There is no need to learn Arabic.”
Marta Roman, 29, from Spain, has been living in Dubai for three years and is in charge of El Club at House of Prose bookshop.
Before moving to the UAE, she lived in Panama, a country that she felt was dangerous.
“My husband didn’t feel like we had opportunity to grow personally and professionally in Panama, so we moved to the UAE where it is also extremely safe and secure,” she said.
“Safety is something that is very important to us and this country had more opportunities to grow and be successful.”
For Sheila Crespo, the move to the Arab world was originally to study Arabic but she ended up working at the Espanol Institute as an academic director.
“I first went to Egypt to study Arabic but then the revolution begun there. So I decided to come here,” she said.
“The reason I moved to the Arab world was not because of better opportunities but to learn Arabic.”
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
