Calls for improved dialogue between expats and nationals

The UAETalks conference discussed ways of bridging the gap between the country's natives and its increasingly diverse foreign residents.

Guests listen to Mishaal al Gergawi speak at a conference on cultural integration yesterday at Zayed University in Dubai.

DUBAI // "We are asking you to put yourself in our sandals." Mishaal al Gergawi, an Emirati social commentator, was urging the UAE's foreign population to imagine themselves in the place of their Emirati counterparts, a minority in their own country. He was speaking at UAETalks, a conference calling for greater integration among the country's nationals and expatriates, where he discussed ways of bridging the gap between the country's natives and its increasingly diverse foreign residents.

In a series of speeches and a panel discussion that involved five Emiratis and five expatriates, students and professionals outlined the barriers limiting integration between nationals and expatriates, why tensions exist and ways to resolve them. The conference, which was held at Zayed University in Dubai, was organised by the UAE chapter of AIESEC, a student-run body that represents 45,000 members in 107 countries.

By consensus it was agreed that many expatriates isolate themselves in social bubbles that often exclude Emiratis. "I think of my father and I think of the amount of expatriate families that used to come in for lunch on Fridays, and I think the average Emirati today has fewer expatriate friends," Mr Gergawi said. Emiratis do not reject interaction with foreigners, but they can be overwhelmed by the influence of other cultures, Mr Gergawi said.

"You also have to understand that being a minority is never easy. A lot of people tell me 'you Emiratis are show-offs, and elitists, and you don't want to talk to us'. I say, what if we are shy? "Maybe he is not being an elitist, maybe he is just shy and overwhelmed." Emiratis worry about losing their national identity to a flood of expatriate influence, he said. While the UAE has accepted a trade-off of more cultural diversity in exchange for greater prosperity.

"I fear as an Emirati that I will only hear Arabic in Khawaneej and Aweer [traditional Emirati areas in Dubai] and only see khandouras there," said Mr Gergawi. "We are the ones who are going to lose. [Expats] will leave and others are going to come." He said adult Emiratis may not suffer, "but your children will. We have more to lose". He said greater emphasis should be given to promoting Arabic along with English in the country.

Emiratis are taken aback by the lack of effort on the part of expatriates to learn Arabic, which some feel diminishes the respect they show for national culture. Amalia Costin, a self-taught Arabic speaker from Romania, said: "Learning the language of the nation is the higher form of respect." Her knowledge of Arabic led to increased interaction with locals, which banished many stereotypes. She discovered that Emiratis were more open to collaboration with women at work, were good negotiators and respectful of foreigners.

Stereotypes are often a direct result of media portrayal, said Noura al Kaabi, an official at the media zone twofour54. "Media is an industry that has a weapon that can kill our image or an image that can be a positive tool for our industry," she said. Media often emphasises Dubai's iconic buildings instead of its people, giving a glitzy but misleading image of the city, she said. "Are we the buildings that we built or are we the people behind it?"

Among the misconceptions are that Emirati women, most of whom wear abayas, are oppressed and timid. Helga Bergsteinsdottir arrived from Iceland convinced they needed help. Instead, she discovered her clients were independent and strong, some even self-employed. Most speakers agreed that more gatherings where nationals and expatriates could discuss challenges to integration were necessary. "People would look at us locals as spoiled brats," said Fatma Bujsaim, the vice president of UAETalks. As an Emirati, she said she found that very wrong. "We have ambitions. We have dreams."

Mr Gergawi plans to launch a programme in which expatriates and Emirati mentors teach each other their respective languages. It was suggested that both sides need to work at breaking the ice. "Our doors are open," Mr Gergawi said. "Even if they look like they were closed, they were never locked." [e-mail]