Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival offers a glimpse into UAE’s past

Emiratis old and young gathered to celebrate their heritage at the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival on Thursday.

Rashed Al Hammadi, 15, has been practising falconry since he was 6. He was one of many Emirati youths in Al Wathba last night for the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival. Lee Hoagland / The National

AL WATHBA // Five thousand performers, hundreds of camels and horses, and singer Hussain Al Jasmi came together to open the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival on Thursday.

Young and old flocked to the celebration of UAE heritage.

Quotes from the late Sheikh Zayed, the founding President, were woven into festivities, along with a video showing the work of those recently recruited into national service.

The festival was a chance for UAE youths to celebrate the traditions of their ancestors.

Among those traditions was pearl diving – not just a profession but a way of life for Ahmed Al Hammadi, 60.

“This was how we lived our life, diving for our sustenance,” Mr Al Hammadi said. “It was a simpler time and we really had to work to make a living.”

He said it was crucial for people to progress, but the importance of remembering the past could not be overstated.

Quoting Sheikh Zayed, he said: “Those who do not know their past don’t know their future. This is true no matter where we are.”

Mr Al Hammadi said the festival gave men like him a chance to show the younger generation what it meant to be Emirati, and the struggles that were faced to get the nation to where it was today.

“Those days family was key. Your brother is your brother, your cousin your cousin,” he said. “We knew each other and if someone didn’t see me for a day they would come asking about me.

“We need to preserve that sense of family. It will push us forward with care.”

His distant relative, 14-year-old Rashed Al Hammadi, has found a balance between the past and the modern world through a traditional pastime.

“I’ve been practising falconry since I was 6,” Rashed said. “It’s something I really have a passion for, especially when I can put my skills on display in one of the many festivals here.”

He said that through falconry, he had discovered more about how his older family members lived, and gained a deeper knowledge of what it meant to be part of the future.

“Of course we can’t live like them,” Rashed said. “But there is much to learn from the past and it gives you values.”

The festival will hold several events that pay homage to past, including Saluki beauty pageants, museums displaying Emirati history and, of course, camel racing.

“These camels are prepared and ready to go,” said Ambar Al Ameri, deputy manager of races at the festival. “It’s really great how easy it was for us to get everything organised and I’m looking forward to the competition.

“We will make sure that everything goes well, and I know that every year we have this it will be a chance for us to progress through our own way, and make the pastimes exciting for everyone.”